Profile
- Type
- Airborne electronic attack aircraft
- Conflict side
- United States
- Origin
- United States
- Service note
- 1981-present
Aircraft & UAVs
EC-130H Compass Call
The EC-130H Compass Call is the U.S. Air Force's legacy airborne electronic-attack aircraft, a modified C-130H used to jam command, control, communications, radar, and navigation systems. In the United States-Iran Conflict, CENTCOM listed the EC-130H among the electronic-warfare aircraft employed in Operation Epic Fury while the fleet was being phased out for the EA-37B.
- Conflict side
- United States
- Built in
- United StatesUnited Kingdom
Service History
- In service
- Delivered to the U.S. Air Force in 1982 and reached IOC in 1983.
- Used by
- United States Air Force
- Wars
- United States-Iran Conflict
Production History
- Designer
- Lockheed Martin
- Designed
- Late 1970s
- Built in
- United StatesUnited Kingdom
- Produced
- 1981-1983 conversions
- Number built
- 14
- Variants
- Baseline 1, Baseline 2
Specifications
- Crew
- 13
- Wingspan
- 132.6 ft
- Length
- 99 ft
- Height
- 38 ft
- Max takeoff weight
- 155,000 lb
Conflict Usage
- United States-Iran Conflict
- Side: United StatesRole: Electronic attack support
Used by the United States in the United States-Iran Conflict; CENTCOM listed the EC-130H Compass Call among U.S. assets employed in Operation Epic Fury against Iran.
EC-130H Compass Call Images
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Related Weapon Systems
EA-18G GrowlerCarrier-capable airborne electronic attack aircraftThe EA-18G Growler is a Boeing-built electronic attack derivative of the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet, fielded to jam, detect, and attack hostile radars, communications, and air-defense networks while retaining missile carriage for suppression missions. U.S. Navy and Australian Growlers provide carrier or land-based electronic warfare support, with recent documented use in Operation Inherent Resolve, Red Sea operations against Houthi forces, and the U.S.-Iran strike context.
EA-37B Compass CallElectronic warfare aircraftThe EA-37B Compass Call is the U.S. Air Force's Gulfstream G550-based airborne electronic attack aircraft, built to disrupt communications, radar, and navigation systems. CENTCOM listed it among assets employed in Operation Epic Fury against Iran in 2026, giving the new Compass Call variant a direct United States-Iran Conflict context.
AH-64 Apache attack helicopterTwin-engine attack helicopterThe AH-64 Apache is a U.S. twin-engine attack helicopter built for armed reconnaissance, close combat, and precision attack missions with a 30 mm chain gun, rockets, and Hellfire missiles. In the United States-Iran Conflict, official Operation Epic Fury material identified Apaches among U.S. assets, and DVIDS imagery documented AH-64E aircraft from the 82nd Airborne Division operating with rockets and Hellfire missiles in the CENTCOM area.
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F-35 Lightning IIFifth-generation stealth multirole fighterThe F-35 Lightning II is a single-seat, single-engine stealth fighter family built around sensor fusion, networked targeting, and multirole strike missions. U.S. and Israeli variants have documented post-2015 combat use, including Marine Corps F-35B strikes in Afghanistan, U.S. Air Force F-35A escort and air-defense suppression over Iran, and Israeli F-35I air-to-air combat against Iran.
RC-135V/W Rivet JointSignals intelligence reconnaissance aircraftThe RC-135V/W Rivet Joint is a U.S. signals-intelligence reconnaissance aircraft derived from the C-135 family. In the United States-Iran Conflict, flight tracking showed it operating over the Arabian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz for intelligence collection missions.Sources
EC-130H Compass CallPublisher: U.S. Air Force | Note: Supports EC-130H Compass Call background, mission, service history, and crew details. | Accessed: 2026-06-20EC-130H Compass Call ArchivesPublisher: Air & Space Forces Magazine | Note: Supports EC-130H Compass Call contractors, first flight, delivery, inventory, and dimensions. | Accessed: 2026-06-20EC-130H Compass Call 060617Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the EC-130H Compass Call in-flight image used as the primary image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20EC-130H Compass Call (15147817100)Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the EC-130H Compass Call Bagram Airfield image used in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-06-20EC-130H Compass Call at Al Dhafra Air BasePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the EC-130H Compass Call Al Dhafra Air Base image used in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-06-20EC-130H Compass Call maintenance at Bagram AirfieldPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the EC-130H Compass Call Bagram maintenance image used in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Operation Epic Fury Fact SheetPublisher: U.S. Central Command | Note: Supports United States-Iran Conflict direct use: EC-130H Compass Call used by CENTCOM as an electronic warfare aircraft in Operation Epic Fury against Iran. | Accessed: 2026-06-20