First L3Harris EA-37B delivered to US Air Force operational unit

The first EA-37B reaches its operational unit at Davis-Monthan AFB on 23 August. (US Air Force)

The first L3Harris EA-37B Compass Call electronic attack aircraft was delivered to its operational unit on 23 August, according to a 27 August statement by the US Air Force (USAF). The 55th Electronic Combat Group (ECG) received the aircraft at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (AFB), in Tucson, Arizona.

The EA-37B, tail number 19-5591, is for now to be used training pilots on the type. A second delivery is expected before the end of 2024, according to the USAF statement.

“The EA-37B is the right choice right now because as we continue to pivot towards great power competition, we have adversaries that are developing long-range kill-chain ecosystems and anti-access area denial capabilities,” said Lieutenant General Thomas Hensley, commander of the 16th Air Force, the 55th ECG's parent unit. “The Compass Call will allow us to do things in the non-kinetic spectrum as well as the electromagnetic spectrum to give us the advantage and not them.”

EA-37Bs are intended to replace the Lockheed Martin EC-130H as the USAF's primary electronic attack aircraft. Nine of the USAF's 14 EC-130Hs have been retired to date, with the final retirement scheduled in 2026, according to the USAF statement. Their role is to be taken on by a fleet of 10 EA-37Bs.

“The EC-130 has served its purpose for years, but this new airframe and its delivery mean that we have a combat-credible threat,” said General Mark Howard, commander of the 55th Wing, which oversees the 55th ECG.