A ballistic missile attack launched by Iran damaged two American EC-130H Compass Call aircraft, specialized in electronic warfare.
The information was revealed based on satellite images from Prince Sultan Air Base, in Saudi Arabia, indicating that at least one of the aircraft suffered significant damage, requiring extensive repairs.
Considered rare within the United States fleet, the EC-130H were already operating in limited numbers at the time of the attack. The episode could further worsen the availability of this type of aircraft, which plays a strategic role in military operations. Additional reports indicate that the same attack also destroyed an E-3 Sentry plane, in addition to leaving more than ten soldiers injured and damaging refueling aircraft.
Based on the C-130 Hercules freighter, the EC-130H Compass Call is designed for electronic jamming missions, being capable of jamming enemy communications and disrupting command and control systems. Introduced in the context of the Cold War, the model was widely used in conflicts such as the Gulf War and operations in the Middle East and the Balkans.
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Despite its historical and operational relevance, the aircraft has come to be considered obsolete in recent decades. As a result, the United States began replacing it with the EC-37B, a more modern version based on a business jet, reflecting the evolution of technological demands in the field of electronic warfare.
Source: Militarnyi | Photo: X @BabakTaghvaee1 | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
BREAKING: Unfortunately, two of the world’s last operational EC-130H Compass Call aircraft of the United States Air Force, deployed at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, have also been damaged as a result of a ballistic missile strike by the IRGC Aerospace Force.
Both… pic.twitter.com/99bJtBVflX
— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) March 27, 2026
