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U.S. Air Force retires final EC-130H Compass Call after more than four decades of electronic warfare service

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The U.S. Air Force formally retired EC-130H Compass Call aircraft 1590 at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, on Sept. 18, following its final operational taxi and flight. The C-130-based electronic warfare platform served for more than 40 years before the EA-37B transition.

Discovered 2026-09-21T00:50:20.132626-07:00 | 2026-09-21T00:50:20.132626-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • The retirement closes more than four decades of EC-130H Compass Call operations and marks the end of the platform’s role in the Air Force’s electronic warfare fleet.
  • The ceremony follows the aircraft’s final operational sortie, with the EA-37B set to assume the Compass Call mission—an important capability transition for U.S. airborne electronic warfare.

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2026-09-21T00:50:20.132626-07:00
Latest Update
2026-09-21T09:35:57.028364-07:00
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