The US Air Force’s last operational EC-130H Compass Call completed its final flight on September 2, ending more than four decades of operations for the electronic warfare version of the C-130 Hercules.
Aircraft 73-1590 departed Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, using the callsign VOLT01 for a flight lasting about six hours. The mission included formation flying with an EA-37B Compass Call, the Gulfstream G550-based aircraft replacing the EC-130H.
The 55th Wing confirmed that it was the type’s final flight. A formal retirement ceremony is scheduled for September 18 at Davis-Monthan, where the EC-130H fleet has been operated by the 55th Electronic Combat Group.
Compass Call became operational in 1983 and was developed to disrupt enemy communications, radar and command-and-control systems. The mission equipment installed aboard the C-130H gave the aircraft its distinctive external fairings and antennas.
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The fleet reached 14 aircraft and was deployed in US military operations over more than four decades, including missions in the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan.
From Hercules to Gulfstream
The retirement of the EC-130H does not end the Compass Call mission. The Air Force is transferring it to the EA-37B, a substantially smaller aircraft based on the Gulfstream G550 business jet.
Compared with the four-engine turboprop EC-130H, the EA-37B can operate at higher altitudes and speeds while requiring fewer personnel. L3Harris is responsible for integrating the mission systems, while BAE Systems supplies the electronic warfare equipment.
The Air Force received its first EA-37B in 2023 for testing and has gradually introduced the aircraft as EC-130Hs were withdrawn. The new type has since participated in deployments outside the continental United States, including activity in the Indo-Pacific.
The final EC-130H flight provided a visible link between the two generations, with Air Force photographs showing 73-1590 flying alongside an EA-37B over Arizona.
Gradual retirement
The Air Force has been reducing the EC-130H fleet for several years as aircraft reached the end of their service lives and equipment was transferred to the EA-37B program.
Aircraft 73-1590 remained as the final active example. Its retirement ends EC-130H operations more than 40 years after the first Compass Call aircraft entered service.
Other specialized Hercules variants remain active with the Air Force, including aircraft used for special operations, combat search and rescue, weather reconnaissance and other missions.
