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Gulfstream designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and services business jet aircraft.

Charlotte Bailey

Two U.S. Air Force EA-37B Compass Call aircraft have landed at the UK’s RAF Mildenhall, with a potential onward journey eastbound marking what would be the type’s first operational deployment.&nbsp;According to online flight tracker providers, the pair of electronic warfare aircraft made the journey from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, via a fuel stop in McGuire, New Jersey. The subsequent UK stop suggests the pair is continuing their trip east.
On March 27, an Iranian missile and drone strike hit Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. While satellite images appear to show a U.S. E-3 airborne early warning and control aircraft destroyed, two EC-130Hs may also have been caught in the attack, hence the need to send their successors as replacements. 
The EA-37B Compass Call is a specially modified Gulfstream G550 fitted with equipment by contractor L3Harris and mission systems developer BAE Systems. Ten units were chosen to replace the aging EC-130H (a heavily modified C-130 Hercules) in U.S. Air Force service—a role the legacy aircraft has held since 1983. The first EA-37B was delivered in 2024, with its first mission training sortie flown in May 2025. 
According to BAE Systems, the EA-37 is a tactical airborne electromagnetic attack system that “denies, degrades, and disrupts adversary command, control, communications, radars, and navigation systems.” 
In January 2026, the first EA-37B assigned to the Arizona-based 55th&nbsp;Electronic Combat Group arrived at Germany’s Ramstein Air Base. This marked its first appearance in European theatre, with a scheduled tour also set to include Spangdahlem, Germany, and RAF Mildenhall (England), explained the latter at the time. It is unclear whether today’s mission is part of this scheduled tour. 
“These visits are intended to enable a smoother transition towards initial operational capability and service across the force as the EC-130 is phased out,” explained the RAF in January. Italy has <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2025-07-25/l3harris-will-equip-electronics-warfare-g550s-italy">also ordered</a> two EA-37Bs, which, according to L3Harris, marks the first time the U.S. government has approved the platform’s sale to a foreign nation. These will complement two other modified G550s for use in an Italian ISR role.

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Potential First Operational Deployment for G550-based EA-37Bs

Two U.S. ‘Compass Call’ aircraft make first landing at UK’s RAF Mildenhall

Two U.S. Air Force EA-37B Compass Call aircraft have landed at the UK’s RAF Mildenhall in what could be the G550-based type’s first operational deployment. 

Potential First Op Deployment for G550-based EA-37Bs

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