US Air Force retires EC-130H Compass Call after final flight

The US Air Force retired its last EC-130H Compass Call electronic attack aircraft on September 2, 2026. The final mission, flown by aircraft 73-1590, departed Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona and lasted approximately six hours.

During the sortie, the EC-130H performed a formation flight with its successor, the EA-37B Compass Call, a Gulfstream G550-based jet. This marked the first time the two aircraft types operated together in formation. The retirement concludes more than four decades of service for the modified C-130 Hercules, which was used to jam adversary communications, radar, and navigation signals.

The EC-130H fleet saw extensive combat use in operations including Operation Just Cause, the Gulf War, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. Over the last 20 years alone, crews logged more than 76,000 combat hours. The Compass Call mission will transition to the EA-37B, which offers higher operating altitudes and speeds with a smaller crew of nine compared to the EC-130H's 13 personnel. L3Harris and BAE Systems are key partners in the mission systems and electronic warfare equipment for the new platform.