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Turkish Air Force personnel examined a U.S. Air Force EA-37B Compass Call electronic warfare aircraft at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Jan. 26, as the advanced jamming platform made its first appearance in the European theater during a scheduled NATO roadshow.
The specialized electronic warfare jet's arrival in Germany sparked speculation it would head to the Middle East amid growing tensions with Iran, but U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) stated the visit had nothing to do with current events.
The aircraft, assigned to the 55th Electronic Combat Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, is also scheduled to visit Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany and Royal Air Force (RAF) Mildenhall in England.
"This is the aircraft's first appearance in the European theater and builds off of two previous roadshows in the Indo-Pacific," USAFE stated.
"The visits are intended to enable a smoother transition toward initial operational capability and service across the force as the EC-130H is phased out," the USAFE noted.
The EA-37B Compass Call is a heavily modified Gulfstream G550 business jet designed to deny, degrade and disrupt adversary communications, information processing, navigation, radar systems and radio-controlled threats.
"As it enters operational service, the airframe will deliver decision dominance across all domains going forward," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Ronnie Smith, USAFE-AFAFRICA Future Operations Deputy Division Chief.
"One of the most important aspects of success in conflict is information superiority," said U.S. Air Force Capt. Tyler Laska, 41st Electronic Combat Squadron EA-37B pilot.
"Every moment of hesitation that we can implant into an adversary's decision-making process increases the survivability of our men and women on the leading edge of every domain," Laska noted.
The U.S. Air Force is procuring 10 EA-37B jets to replace the aging fleet of turboprop EC-130H Compass Call aircraft, of which only four remain operational.
The 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron flew the first training sortie for the EA-37B on May 2, 2025.
The EA-37B leverages the Conformal Airborne Early Warning configuration developed first for the Israel Defense Forces, featuring large "cheek" fairings on either side of the fuselage.
While many mission systems are directly ported from the EC-130H—explaining why both aircraft share the same nickname—the EA-37B offers new capabilities beyond its predecessor.
The Air Force has indicated the aircraft's designation reflects its ability to not only attack but also destroy certain targets.
The EA-37B carries a combat crew of up to nine people. The pilot and co-pilot handle aircraft flight, while seven additional members operate the electronic attack mission equipment integrated into the cargo/mission compartment.
The mission crew can include the mission crew commander, weapon system officer, mission crew supervisor, analysis operators (linguists), an acquisition operator and an airborne maintenance technician.
The Compass Call is designed with System-Wide Open Reconfigurable Dynamic Architecture (SWORD-A) capabilities, allowing rapid updates to adopt new capabilities and counter emerging technologies.
"The roadshow's inclusion of multiple installations and units highlights the aircraft's flexibility to integrate into various mission sets and teams, serving as a key node for joint and coalition operations," USAFE stated.
The aircraft's communication capabilities include expanded satellite communication connectivity, increased multi-asset coordination nets and upgraded data-link terminals.
The versatile platform can integrate into tactical air operations at any level.
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