The first EC-130H upgraded to the new Baseline-2 standard was redelivered to the 55th Electronic Combat Group—the only unit operating the type—at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., on Feb. 20. The revamped Compass Call now boasts expanded “plug-and-play” capability to allow rapid modification for unique missions, modernized satellite communications, and upgraded datalinks, according to a Feb. 25 release. The aircraft also received enhanced survivability and performance modifications, though the specific details of the upgrade are classified, states the release. The 661st Aeronautical Systems Squadron at Waco, Tex., conducted the work, guided by Air Force Materiel Command’s Big Safari program office. The unit’s EC-130s, tasked with counter-communication and electronic attack, have been continuously deployed since 2002, flying some 10,400 sorties and 64,200 flying hours in combat operations over Afghanistan and Iraq, states the release.
The $4.26 billion Small Business Innovation Research contracting program widely used by the Air Force went into hibernation as the government shut down Oct. 1, but unless lawmakers strike a deal on reforms, the program could reach an abrupt end.
