The US Air Force has flown the last active EC-130H Compass Call from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, ending more than four decades of service for the electronic warfare aircraft. Tail number 73-1590 completed its final mission on 2 September and returned after about six hours, with a formation flight over southern Arizona including an EA-37B, the Compass Call replacement now taking over the mission.
The aircraft belonged to the 55th Electronic Combat Group, part of the 55th Wing, and its final flight was captured in official imagery posted the following day. A retirement ceremony is planned for 18 September at Davis-Monthan, where the service has been transitioning from the C-130-based EC-130H fleet to the business-jet-based EA-37B. The change preserves the airborne electromagnetic attack role while moving the mission onto a newer platform built for the next phase of US electronic warfare operations.