An EC-37B Compass Call arrives at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona on 17 August 2022. Compass Call suppresses air defences by preventing the transmission of essential information between adversaries, their weapon systems and control networks. (Photo: USAF/Airman 1st Class Vaughn Weber)
The first upgraded Baseline 3 Compass Call airborne standoff EW jamming system aboard USAF EC-37B aircraft will include ‘key components’ from BAE Systems, the company announced on 21 September.
BAE Systems stated that it has delivered final Baseline 3 hardware in preparation for initial flight tests in January 2023.
Baseline 3 offers additional EW capabilities and BAE Systems expects it to be fielded on an interim basis from mid-2024 while work continues on the Baseline 4 configuration.
The EC-37B is a new platform for Compass Call, as BAE Systems has provided the system for USAF EC-130H aircraft since 1981.
The EC-37B is based on the Gulfstream G550 commercial business jet. The EC-37B programme began in FY2017 with an estimated procurement cost of $1.45 billion for ten aircraft, according to Shephard Defence Insight.
There are 13 EC-130H aircraft in USAF service with an expected retirement date of 2025.
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The number of aircraft was stated by UK Defence Secretary John Healey during a Defence Committee hearing. It follows on from the UK’s decision to purchase F-35A aircraft to boost its nuclear deterrence, although hurdles and questions about the order still remain.
The use of air power by both sides in the ongoing conflict has been extensively focused on, influencing policy and procurement around the world. But are the lessons from the front line universally applicable, or should other nations be planning for very different scenarios?
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