Overview
- The last EC-130H completed its fini flight on Sept. 2, 2026, and the type will be formally retired at a ceremony scheduled for Sept. 18 at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
- DoD budget records show the C-130H-derived airframes reached programmed depot maintenance limits and were operating under waivers that are due to expire on Sept. 30, 2026, and extending service life would cost about $14 million per aircraft.
- The EA-37B, a Gulfstream G550-based jet, has begun assuming Compass Call missions and has already deployed to combat operations, but only a portion of ordered jets have been delivered.
- The EA-37B retains roughly 70% of the EC-130H’s mission systems, cuts crew size from 13 to nine, flies faster and higher, and is expected to lower operating costs by about half compared with the Hercules-based platform.
- The Air Force is buying more EA-37Bs to meet demand with plans to grow the fleet toward 22 aircraft through 2031 while drawing down the 14-airframe EC-130H force that served in conflicts from Panama and Desert Storm to recent operations.