Electronic Warfare

NOVA equipment

Also known as
  • NOVA
  • NOVA IED Defeat subsystem
  • NOVA equipment

NOVA equipment is an EC-130H Compass Call electronic-warfare subsystem associated with jamming remote-controlled improvised explosive devices. Armada International identifies NOVA inside the Compass Call COMINT/COMJAM mission-equipment suite, and a U.S. Air Force budget justification lists it as an IED Defeat subsystem among Compass Call baseline improvements.

NOVA equipment, IED-jamming subsystem, Electronic Warfare
Image source: EC-130H Compass Call 060617
Profile / Specs

Specifications

Function
Jams remote-controlled improvised explosive devices
Role
IED-jamming subsystem
Host platform
EC-130H Compass Call
Mission suite
COMINT/COMJAM mission equipment
Program context
Listed in U.S. Air Force Compass Call Baseline 2/3 subsystem improvements
Supported target set
Radio-controlled IED command links
Carrier Aircraft

NOVA equipment is documented as part of the EC-130H Compass Call's onboard mission-equipment suite.

CarrierCarrier typeCarriage evidence
EC-130H Compass Call, Airborne electronic attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsEC-130H Compass CallElectronic attack aircraft

Armada International says the EC-130H Compass Call carries NOVA equipment that jams remote-controlled improvised explosive devices.

Sources: Compass Call Upgrade

Scope of the public relationship

Public sources tie NOVA to the EC-130H Compass Call specifically. Sources on the later EA-37B describe a broader Compass Call mission-equipment rehost, but they do not separately identify NOVA as an EA-37B subsystem.

Sources: Compass Call Upgrade, BAE Systems and L3Harris Deliver First EC-37B Compass Call Aircraft to the US Air Force

NOVA In The Compass Call Suite

Open sources identify NOVA by function and host aircraft rather than by a standalone public data sheet. The supported details below separate the documented subsystem role from wider Compass Call modernization context.

TopicSource-backed detailCatalog implication
Subsystem roleNOVA is identified as equipment for jamming remote-controlled improvised explosive devices.The page stays focused on IED-jamming support equipment rather than the full Compass Call aircraft.
Host integrationArmada International places NOVA in the EC-130H Compass Call COMINT/COMJAM mission-equipment suite.The supported catalog relationship is to EC-130H Compass Call, Airborne electronic attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsEC-130H Compass Call.
Budget contextA U.S. Air Force FY 2011 budget justification lists NOVA as an IED Defeat subsystem among Compass Call Baseline 2/3 additions and improvements.Specifications should stay at subsystem and program-context level unless a public technical sheet emerges.
Rehost limitBAE Systems and L3Harris describe the wider Compass Call mission equipment being rehosted from EC-130H to EC-37B aircraft.The record notes the Compass Call rehost context but does not claim a separate NOVA fit on EA-37B Compass Call, Airborne electromagnetic attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsEA-37B Compass Call.

Sources: Compass Call Upgrade; FY 2011 Compass Call Budget Justification; BAE Systems and L3Harris Deliver First EC-37B Compass Call Aircraft to the US Air Force.

Timeline

NOVA equipment Key Events

  1. Compass Call enters service

    The U.S. Air Force identifies 1983 as the initial operational capability year for the EC-130H Compass Call, the aircraft later documented as NOVA's host platform.

    Sources: EC-130H Compass Call

  2. NOVA appears in Compass Call budget work

    The FY 2011 Compass Call budget justification lists NOVA as an IED Defeat subsystem in baseline subsystem additions and improvements.

    Sources: FY 2011 Compass Call Budget Justification

  3. Armada identifies NOVA's jamming role

    Armada International described NOVA equipment as part of the EC-130H Compass Call suite and tied it to jamming remote-controlled improvised explosive devices.

    Sources: Compass Call Upgrade

  4. Compass Call mission equipment begins EC-37B rehost path

    BAE Systems and L3Harris delivered the first EC-37B for testing as part of the wider Compass Call mission-equipment rehost from EC-130H aircraft to a G550-based platform.

    Sources: BAE Systems and L3Harris Deliver First EC-37B Compass Call Aircraft to the US Air Force

Media

NOVA equipment Videos

NOVA equipment Images

NOVA equipment, IED-jamming subsystem, Electronic Warfare - view 1
Source: EC-130H Compass Call at Al Dhafra Air Base
NOVA equipment, IED-jamming subsystem, Electronic Warfare - view 2
Source: EC-130H Compass Call maintenance at Bagram Airfield
Related Weapon Systems
EC-130H Compass Call, Airborne electronic attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsEC-130H Compass CallAirborne electronic attack aircraftThe EC-130H Compass Call is the U.S. Air Force's legacy airborne electronic-attack aircraft, a heavily modified C-130H that denies, degrades, and disrupts adversary command-and-control communications, radars, and navigation systems. Its mission crew operates permanently installed electronic-attack equipment for U.S. and coalition air, surface, maritime, and special-operations support, while the EC-130H fleet transitions to the EA-37B Compass Call successor.
ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System, Tactical jamming pod system, Electronic WarfareElectronic WarfareALQ-99 Tactical Jamming SystemTactical jamming pod systemThe ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System is a U.S. external-carriage airborne electronic attack pod family used to jam radar and communications targets for suppression of enemy air defenses. NAVAIR says it entered service in 1971, served on the EA-6B Prowler before transitioning to the EA-18G Growler in 2010, and remains in use alongside Next Generation Jammer pods, including documented VAQ-133 carriage during 2026 Iran War strike operations.
Communication EA Surveillance and Reconnaissance (CEASAR) pod, Airborne electronic attack and reconnaissance pod, Electronic WarfareElectronic WarfareCommunication EA Surveillance and Reconnaissance (CEASAR) podAirborne electronic attack and reconnaissance podThe Communication EA Surveillance and Reconnaissance (CEASAR) pod is a Raytheon-built U.S. airborne electronic-attack payload developed for C-12/King Air aircraft to provide beyond-line-of-sight communications jamming for ground forces. It deployed with Task Force CEASAR in Afghanistan, later fed the NERO Gray Eagle UAS adaptation, and appeared in Air National Guard planning for EC-130J Commando Solo Multi-Mission Payload-Heavy aircraft.

Sources

Compass Call UpgradePublisher: Armada International | Note: Supports NOVA equipment's role as the EC-130H Compass Call IED-jamming subsystem, its COMINT/COMJAM suite context, and SABER modernization background. | Accessed: 2026-06-29FY 2011 Compass Call Budget JustificationPublisher: U.S. Air Force | Note: Supports NOVA as an IED Defeat subsystem in EC-130H Compass Call Baseline 2/3 subsystem additions and improvements. | Accessed: 2026-06-29EC-130H Compass CallPublisher: U.S. Air Force | Note: Supports EC-130H Compass Call host-aircraft background, initial operational capability, mission, and crew context. | Accessed: 2026-06-29BAE Systems and L3Harris Deliver First EC-37B Compass Call Aircraft to the US Air ForcePublisher: BAE Systems | Note: Supports Compass Call mission-equipment rehost context from EC-130H aircraft to the G550-based EC-37B platform and the first EC-37B delivery for testing. | Accessed: 2026-06-29EC-130H Compass Call 060617Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the EC-130H Compass Call in-flight image used on the NOVA equipment page. | Accessed: 2026-06-29EC-130H Compass Call at Al Dhafra Air BasePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the EC-130H Compass Call ramp image used in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-06-29EC-130H Compass Call maintenance at Bagram AirfieldPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the EC-130H Compass Call maintenance image used in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-06-29