EW aircraft EC-37B Compass Call. Progress and delays
One of the EC-130H aircraft
The Pentagon and its contractors continue work on the promising EC-37B Compass Call electronic warfare aircraft. In the foreseeable future, he will have to replace obsolete aircraft of a similar purpose EC-130H. To date, the first machine of a new type has been built and tested, and the next ones are expected in the near future. For a complete renewal of the Air Force fleet, at least a dozen new aircraft are required.
Platform replacement
The EC-130H Compass Call jamming aircraft have been in service with the US Air Force since the early eighties and are actively used in various operations. However, the basic platform in the form of the C-130 is now obsolete, and the target electronic equipment no longer fully complies with current requirements.
In this regard, in the mid-2017s, the Pentagon launched a program for the deep modernization of the existing EW aviation complex. Following the results of the competitive stage, in 3, the contract for the work was received by LXNUMXHarris. Subsequently, additional agreements with subcontractors appeared.
An interesting task was set before the performer. He had to overhaul and upgrade the Compass Call cash systems, as well as transfer them from existing EC-130H carriers to a new platform. Through the use of a new carrier aircraft, it was planned to significantly extend the service life of the complex, as well as improve operational performance.
First completed EC-37B Compass Call at Davis-Monten AFB, 17 August 2022
Based on the combination of characteristics, the Gulfstream G550 business jet was considered the optimal carrier of the electronic warfare complex. Aircraft with special electronic equipment have already been created on its basis, and these projects have proven themselves well. In addition, the original passenger modification of the G550 under the designation C-37B is in the supply of the US Air Force and is well mastered in operation.
In accordance with the designation of the original platform, the new jammer was named EC-37B. He was also given the name Compass Call - it indicates the use of a ready-made electronic warfare complex.
Manufacturing process
According to known data, projects for updating the Compass Call complex and transferring it to a new carrier were developed no later than 2018-19. After that, all organizational issues were settled, and the executing companies began to manufacture the first EC-37B aircraft.
The EW aircraft is reportedly being built in two phases. At the first stage, Gulfstream, through its plant in Savannah, Georgia, is rebuilding the original business jet. The design of the airframe is changed as required, the necessary external fairings and places for installing internal equipment are added. At this stage, L3Harris specialists carry out the laying of bundles and pipelines from the power supply, cooling systems, etc.
Then the rebuilt aircraft must be sent to the L3Harris plant in Waco, Texas. All target electronic equipment, built-in and external antennas, crew jobs, etc. are installed there. Based on the results of these works, the EC-37B aircraft acquires its final form and can go for testing.
First sample
The rebuilding of the first G550 aircraft under the Compass Call project was completed by the summer of 2021. The machine received new elements of the airframe and systems, after which it passed ground tests. On August 25, this board was first lifted into the air. During the following weeks, flight tests were carried out, during which they confirmed the preservation of the main characteristics at the required level.
In October, the aircraft flew to the L3Harris plant to install the target equipment. This process took several months and ended this year. We are aware of a new stage of testing. Probably, this time they also used the newly installed target equipment.
Various events involving the first EC-37B are still ongoing. So, in mid-August, the plane arrived at the Davis-Monten airbase (Arizona), where the 55th electronic warfare group is serving. Now this unit operates EC-130H aircraft, and in the future it will receive a new version of Compass Call. The personnel of the group got the opportunity to get acquainted with their future equipment.
In tests, incl. with the involvement of combat specialists, so far only one EC-37B is participating. How soon the assembly of the second and subsequent aircraft will begin is not reported. Only the possibility of performing these works in the indefinite near future is mentioned.
Plans for the future
According to known data, until recently, the US Air Force had only 14 EC-130H Compass Call aircraft. This technique was listed as part of two squadrons from the 55th group. Due to moral and physical obsolescence, the decommissioning of such equipment has begun. Five cars were decommissioned last year. Two more will have to be written off this year. Accordingly, at the beginning of FY2023. only seven aircraft will remain in service.
Plans for 2017 were to reduce the overall size of the fleet as part of the process of replacing the old Compass Calls with new ones. Without loss in efficiency and capabilities, they were going to reduce it to 10 units. Such plans remained relevant until recently, and the Air Force budget for recent years was drawn up taking into account them.
Now the plans are being revised. In June, the House of Representatives, working on the FY2023 military budget proposal, proposed an increase in spending on the EC-37B program. It is proposed to allocate an additional $884 million for it, which will allow the purchase of four additional aircraft. With their help, the series will be brought to 14 units, and as a result, an equivalent replacement for old cars will be obtained. Apparently, the proposal for additional aircraft will be included in the final version of the military budget.
It was previously reported that deliveries of the new Compass Call will begin in FY2023. Whether it will be possible to meet these deadlines is unclear. It is possible that next year the customer will receive only the first aircraft, which is already being tested. However, it cannot be ruled out that the factories in Savannah and Waco are already re-equipping new boards, and by the end of FY2023. at least they will be tested.
Desired benefits
By changing the platform, the customer wants to get a number of new features and benefits. First of all, this is the novelty of the G550 / EC-37B aircraft and the absence of problems associated with the development of the resource. In addition, the original aircraft is commercial, with known operational benefits.
The G550 business jet is smaller and lighter than the C-130 military transport aircraft. In addition, it has higher flight performance. Thus, the cruising speed of the serial EC-130H is 482 km / h, and the EC-37B is capable of developing 900-950 km / h. The old Compass Call can rise to a height of 7,6 km, and for the new one, the ceiling reaches 15-16 km. The range and duration of the flight will increase significantly.
A passenger aircraft is inferior to a transport aircraft in terms of cabin volume and carrying capacity. However, the modernization of the electronic warfare complex and the transition to a modern component base makes it possible to drastically reduce the weight and dimensions of devices and systems. At the same time, performance characteristics remain at the same level or increase.
The exact composition, characteristics and capabilities of the upgraded Compass Call complex are not reported. It is known that the aircraft will be able to keep watch in the air, detect radio signals from enemy systems and determine their source. To transmit interference, large-sized active phased antenna arrays on the sides of the fuselage will be used.
It is known that during the conflicts of recent decades, EC-130H Compass Call aircraft were regularly used to detect and suppress enemy radio communication channels. In some cases, electronic warfare systems worked on radar systems - if they were available at the theater. Apparently, the same tasks will have to be solved by the new EC-37B aircraft.
Pending Results
Thus, the Pentagon and its contractors as a whole successfully continue not the most noticeable, but an important program. A new jamming aircraft has been developed and brought to testing, and it is planned to begin its mass production in the near future. Thanks to this, re-equipment of combatant squadrons will begin in 2023 or later.
Depending on future decisions of Congress, the Air Force will receive at least a dozen new EC-37B Compass Call aircraft and will be able to form the required fleet. However, in the current conditions, it is not the quantity of such equipment that matters, but the timing of its appearance. Old aircraft are already being decommissioned, and only half of the existing fleet remains. And now any delays in the delivery of new equipment are a potential problem for the Air Force.
- Ryabov Kirill
- The US Department of Defense
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