--- title: "Why the Air Force is turning this business jet into a weapon" description: "The Air Force is hitting refresh on electronic warfare with a modified business jet that some experts are already calling a game changer." date: "2026-07-02" modified: "2026-07-02" authors: - name: "David Roza" job_title: "YouTube Writer/Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/david-roza/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/tech-tactics/air-force-ea-37b-electronic-warfare/" categories: - "Aircraft" - "Tech & Tactics" - "Video" --- # Why the Air Force is turning this business jet into a weapon ![A mission crew boards a U.S. Air Force EA-37B Compass Call at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Dec. 7, 2025. Teams from the USAF and the Royal Australian Air Force trained together on an EA-37B in preparation for the RAAF receiving its own version of a Gulfstream-based special mission support aircraft. (U.S. Air Force courtesy photo)]() *A crew member boards an Air Force EA-37B Compass Call at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Dec. 7, 2025. Air Force photo.* The Air Force is hitting refresh on [electromagnetic warfare]() with its first new electronic attack aircraft in forty years. The EA-37B Compass Call is a modified business jet that some experts are already calling a “[game changer]()” thanks to its speed, range, high service ceiling, and ability to upgrade quickly to keep pace with new technology. But at the same time, other experts warn that the service will need more Compass Calls than the Air Force plans on buying to meet the challenges of the invisible battlefield. ![An EA-37B Compass Call prepares to raise its door before flight at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Aug. 28, 2024. The Compass Call systems employed offensive counter-information and electronic attack capabilities in support of U.S. and Coalition operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Andrew Garavito)]() *An EA-37B Compass Call prepares to raise its door before flight at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Aug. 28, 2024. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Andrew Garavito* ## Cat-and-mouse One of the earliest examples of electromagnetic warfare emerged in 1904, when Russia [jammed]() Japanese radio signals [coordinating]() the [shelling of Port Arthur](). It’s been a cat-and-mouse game ever since: as new technologies for radar, communication and navigation crop up, so do new ways of jamming, spoofing, or [otherwise messing]() with them. During Desert Storm, Air Force EF-111A Ravens and Navy and Marine Corps EA-6B Prowlers jammed enemy air defenses to clear the way for strike aircraft. Though often overshadowed by fighters and bombers, the Navy [wrote]() that electromagnetic jamming, also called defense suppression, was “critical to the success of all aviation missions” during the Gulf War, and “If Navy defense suppression wasn’t available, the missions didn’t fly.” Today, the cat-and-mouse game is faster than ever. As described in a 2023 [report]() by the RAND Corporation, advanced radar systems can adjust their waveforms, power, and sensitivity to become much more difficult to spot, or shift rapidly between “never-before-seen waveforms.” This is playing out in Ukraine. Bryan Clark, an electronic warfare expert and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, told Task & Purpose that Ukrainian troops are using software-defined radios to maneuver through the electromagnetic spectrum. “They're very versatile when it comes to changing the waveforms and frequencies, which allows you to be more capable of circumventing jamming,” he said. “And if you're jamming, you can hunt for the signals you're trying to jam more effectively.” ![A U.S. Air Force EC-130H Compass Call from the 55th Wing prepares for in-flight refueling from a 155th Air Refueling Wing KC-135 Stratotanker during exercise Emerald Flag over the Gulf of Mexico, Dec. 3, 2020. (Staff Sgt. Joshua Hoskins/U.S. Air Force)]() *An Air Force EC-130H Compass Call prepares for in-flight refueling over the Gulf of Mexico, Dec. 3, 2020. A U.S. Air Force EC-130H Compass Call from the 55th Wing prepares for in-flight refueling from a 155th Air Refueling Wing KC-135 Stratotanker during exercise Emerald Flag over the Gulf of Mexico, Dec. 3, 2020. (Staff Sgt. Joshua Hoskins/U.S. Air Force)* ## Compass calling The EA-37B is replacing the EC-130H, which flew over the Middle East [practically non-stop]() through the Global War on Terror. EC-130H crews used radio signals to track down insurgents and disable remote-controlled improvised explosives. But the Pentagon is preparing for a possible fight with China across the vast Pacific Ocean. The EC-130H may not have the speed or range to help, and its low ceiling of 25,000 feet means it can’t throw signals very far to touch enemy systems. The EA-37B can fly about twice as far, fast and high as its predecessor. The bulges on the side of the fuselage house transmit antennas and amplifiers that boost its power, letting the jet hit targets [farther away]() than smaller platforms such as the Navy’s EA-18G Growler. The Air Force is also developing a software system that will let Compass Call crews quickly update their electronic warfare programs in response to new threats. The [first]() EA-37B arrived in August, 2024, and the fleet grew to five by May 2025. It’s already a combat veteran, having [taken part]() in Operation Epic Fury earlier this year. ![An EA-37B Compass Call takes its first official flight at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Aug. 28, 2024. The plane was officially brought to DM and is now an operational asset to installation capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Andrew Garavito)]() *An EA-37B Compass Call takes its first official flight at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Aug. 28, 2024. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Andrew Garavito* ## But is it enough? In its 2027 budget request, the Air Force [bumped its request ]()for 12 EA-37Bs up to 22 aircraft through 2031, nearly double the original ask. But given the size of the Pacific and the worldwide demand for electronic attack, some say that may not be enough. Heather Penney, an airpower expert at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, said on a [recent podcast]() that the Air Force probably needs upwards of 30 aircraft to meet demand. On the other hand, Clark warned that as air defenses become more formidable, EA-37Bs may soon become obsolete. There is plenty of grey between peace and war, and the electromagnetic spectrum allows superpowers to poke each other without turning buildings into rubble. This was a big part of the Cold War, wherein U.S. aircrews [gathered electronic intelligence]() on the Soviet Union for decades. The EA-37B may play a similar role. “If anything, the electromagnetic spectrum has become more challenged over time,” Col. Scott Mills, then-commander of the 355th Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, [said]() when the EA-37B first arrived there in 2024. “We need an asset that can meet that challenge today. We have that with the arrival of the EA-37B.” We have even more about the EA-37B and why it’s so important for modern warfare over on our YouTube channel, [which you can check out here](). ## Author David Roza writes scripts about military news for the Task & Purpose YouTube channel, and he also writes articles about military pay, benefits, health care, child care, culture, and other personnel topics on a freelance basis. Roza previously covered the Air Force and Space Force for Task & Purpose from 2019 to 2023 and for Air & Space Forces Magazine from 2023 to 2025. In the course of that reporting, he has set off a ‘Hollywood explosion’ with Air Force bomb techs, turned the (unarmed) keys of a nuclear missile bunker, hovered over the Nevada desert on an Air Force rescue helicopter, and got the best sleep of his life on the floor of a C-17 over the central Pacific. Share tips and story ideas with David at [david.roza@teamrecurrent.io]()