2014 War Against the Islamic State

EC-130H Compass Call in the 2014 War Against the Islamic State

U.S. Air Force EC-130H Compass Call aircraft were used by the anti-ISIS coalition in Operation Inherent Resolve, where 43rd Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron crews jammed Islamic State communications and supported U.S., coalition, Iraqi, and partner ground forces.

Weapon profileEC-130H Compass Call
SideAnti-ISIS coalition and partner forcesRoleElectronic Warfare
EC-130H Compass Call, Airborne electronic attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs - 2014 War Against the Islamic State
Image source: EC-130H Compass Call 060617

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
The 43rd Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron operated EC-130H Compass Call aircraft in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

Sources: DVIDS OIR Media Day Feature

U.S. Air Force EC-130H Compass Call crews were employed against ISIL command-and-control communications in December 2016.

Sources: Compass Call Targets ISIL, DVIDS EC-130H B-Roll

An EC-130H Compass Call was documented taking off on January 18, 2017 for OIR operations jamming Da'esh communications.

Sources: CENTCOM OIR Media Day Image

The 43rd EECS used EC-130H Compass Call aircraft in the OIR battlespace for tactical command, control, and communications countermeasures.

Sources: DVIDS Compass Call Reshapes OIR

The 43rd EECS operated with the 386th AEW from 2015 until 2019 and participated in Operation Inherent Resolve.

Sources: AFCENT 43rd EECS Inactivation

Timeline

EC-130H Compass Call In 2014 War Against the Islamic State

  1. 43rd EECS begins 386th AEW OIR tenure

    AFCENT later reported that the 43rd Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron operated with the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing from 2015 until its September 30, 2019 inactivation.

    Sources: AFCENT 43rd EECS Inactivation

  2. EC-130H electronic attack against Da'esh documented

    DVIDS B-roll recorded an EC-130H Compass Call at an undisclosed location and described the aircraft as targeting Da'esh through electronic attack.

    Sources: DVIDS EC-130H B-Roll

  3. Air Force describes daily EC-130H employment against ISIL

    The Air Force reported that it was using the EC-130H Compass Call every day in the fight against ISIL to deny the group's ability to command and control forces.

    Sources: Compass Call Targets ISIL

  4. CENTCOM publishes OIR Compass Call sortie image

    CENTCOM identified an EC-130H Compass Call taking off from an undisclosed Southwest Asia airfield for Operation Inherent Resolve and said it was jamming Da'esh communications.

    Sources: CENTCOM OIR Media Day Image

  5. DVIDS reports 43rd EECS EC-130H role in OIR battlespace

    DVIDS reported that 43rd EECS EC-130H crews were performing tactical command, control, and communications countermeasures for U.S. and coalition forces in the AFCENT area of responsibility.

    Sources: DVIDS Compass Call Reshapes OIR

  6. 43rd EECS inactivates after OIR deployment period

    AFCENT reported that the 43rd EECS inactivated at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, after operating with the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing since 2015 and participating in Operation Inherent Resolve.

    Sources: AFCENT 43rd EECS Inactivation

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

Official U.S. military sources document EC-130H Compass Call use in Operation Inherent Resolve during the 2014 War Against the Islamic State. A December 2016 Air Force article said the U.S. Air Force was employing the EC-130H Compass Call every day in the fight against ISIL, with 43rd Expeditionary Electronic Attack Squadron crews denying Islamic State command-and-control communications while supporting Iraqi allies.

CENTCOM imagery from January 18, 2017 identified an EC-130H Compass Call taking off from an undisclosed Southwest Asia airfield and stated that the aircraft was engaged in operations jamming Da'esh communications. DVIDS and AFCENT reporting later in 2017 identified the 43rd Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron as operating EC-130H Compass Call aircraft in the Operation Inherent Resolve battlespace.

Sources: Compass Call Targets ISIL, CENTCOM OIR Media Day Image, DVIDS Compass Call Reshapes OIR

Timeline

The public record places the 43rd EECS in the Operation Inherent Resolve mission from 2015 through its September 2019 inactivation. DVIDS' OIR media-day feature said the squadron was deployed to Southwest Asia, operated EC-130H Compass Call aircraft in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, and flew aircraft deployed from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

Specific public milestones include December 2016 Air Force coverage of EC-130H electronic attack against ISIL, January 2017 CENTCOM imagery of an OIR Compass Call sortie, August 2017 DVIDS reporting on EC-130H crews performing tactical command, control, and communications countermeasures, and October 2019 AFCENT reporting that the 43rd EECS had operated with the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing since 2015.

Sources: DVIDS OIR Media Day Feature, Compass Call Targets ISIL, CENTCOM OIR Media Day Image, DVIDS Compass Call Reshapes OIR, AFCENT 43rd EECS Inactivation

Narrative

The EC-130H's documented role in the anti-ISIS campaign was non-kinetic airborne electronic attack rather than strike or transport. Official accounts describe the aircraft as disrupting, denying, or degrading Islamic State command-and-control communications so that enemy fighters were harder to coordinate while friendly ground and coalition forces operated.

The documented operator was the U.S. Air Force, especially the 43rd EECS under the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing in Southwest Asia. The supported catalog side is anti-ISIS coalition and partner forces because the cited missions supported U.S. and coalition forces, Iraqi allies, and partner ground forces against Islamic State units in Iraq and Syria.

The sources support deployment, sortie activity, and communications-jamming use in the OIR battlespace. They do not provide a complete sortie log or identify every geographic target area; the public reporting names broad Southwest Asia basing and operational examples from the Mosul campaign to smaller single-event missions.

Sources: DVIDS Compass Call Reshapes OIR, Compass Call Targets ISIL, AFCENT 43rd EECS Inactivation

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Sources