Silence of the Jammed; EC-130H retires
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. — After over four decades of electronic warfare operations, the EC-130H Compass Call, tail 1590, conducted its final operational taxi during a formal retirement ceremony at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Sept. 18, 2026.
Since its first flight in 1981, this rugged, low-flying airframe has served as the joint force’s invisible shield, disrupting enemy communications and employing offensive counter-information and electronic attack capabilities in support of U.S. and coalition forces.
That historic legacy ended on Sept. 2 when the aircraft completed its final flight, marking the official passing of the Compass Call mission to a faster, higher-flying digital predator: the EA-37B.
“That flight was the culmination of six years of late shifts, pride, and constant battles to keep that plane flying,” said Staff Sgt. Justin Franko, 755th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron dedicated crew chief. “It represents our team coming together as a family to accomplish the mission and ultimately see this aircraft off with the honor it deserves.”
For Franko, watching tail 1590 taxi in for the last time felt less like the end of a shift and more like parting with a piece of his own legacy. “This closes the door not just on my time in our squadron, but on an entire chapter of my life.”
The transition to the EA-37B represents a generational leap in electromagnetic warfare, replacing the propeller-driven EC-130H airframe with a sleek, high-altitude digital asset. The EA-37B leverages a heavily modified Gulfstream G550 to deny, degrade, and disrupt adversary communications, radar systems, and operate with precision navigation. It can operate at 51,000 feet, more than double the ceiling of its predecessor, and cuts through the sky twice as fast at speeds up to 600 mph.
By shrinking the required onboard aircrew by 30% while simultaneously boosting speed and unrefueled endurance, the EA-37B delivers a more lethal, efficient, and survivable platform to exploit the electromagnetic spectrum in support of the Joint Force.
“None of what we have done happened because of an airframe,” said Col. Eric Rumble, 55th Electronic Combat Group commander. “Airplanes don’t build legacies, people do.”
During the ceremony, tail 1590 was reassigned from the 55th ECG to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group where it is slated to enter the “boneyard” on Sept. 21.
For Col. Aaron Gray, 55th Wing commander at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, the ceremony wasn’t just about the airplane, but about the Airmen that have been a part of its generational legacy.
“It’s about the missions they flew, the people they protected, the enemies they disrupted, and the sacrifices made by thousands of men and women who became part of the Compass Call family. We are retiring the EC-130; we are not retiring Compass Call. The mission continues with the EA-37B.”
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