--- title: "EC-130H Compass Call Electronic Warfare Plane Joins Growing U.S. Force In Caribbean" description: "One of the U.S. Air Force’s last remaining [EC-130H Compass Call ]()electronic warfare planes is now in Puerto Rico, video emerging on social media shows. The arrival marks the [latest in an increasing buildup ]()of military assets in the region…" date: "2025-12-22" modified: "2025-12-22" authors: - name: "Howard Altman" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/howard-altman" url: "https://www.twz.com/air/ec-130h-compass-call-electronic-warfare-plane-joins-growing-u-s-force-in-caribbean" categories: - "Air" - "Air Forces" - "Airborne Electronic Warfare" - "Americas" - "Around The Globe" - "C-130" - "Electronic Warfare/Countermeasures" - "News & Features" - "POTUS" - "South America" - "Transports" - "U.S. Air Force" --- # EC-130H Compass Call Electronic Warfare Plane Joins Growing U.S. Force In Caribbean ![A U.S. Air Force EC-130H Compass Call electronic warfare plane was seen landing in Puerto Rico.]() *(U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Wolfram M. Stumpf)* One of the U.S. Air Force’s last remaining [EC-130H Compass Call ]()electronic warfare planes is now in Puerto Rico, video emerging on social media shows. The arrival marks the [latest in an increasing buildup ]()of military assets in the region to pressure Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and for what seems increasingly likely to be a contingency for a sustained kinetic operation over Venezuela. You can catch up with our latest coverage on Operation Southern Spear in the Caribbean [here](). The Compass Call landed 10 p.m. on Saturday at the Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico, the videographer, an aircraft spotter who uses the Instagram handle [Pinchito.Avgeek](), told us. Other aircraft spotters told *The War Zone* that this is the first confirmed Compass Call to be seen in Puerto Rico as of late. The airport is also home to the[ Puerto Rico Air National Guard's 156th Wing]() and has seen C-17 Globemaster III and other military aircraft operating there for Southern Spear. https://twitter.com/LatAmMilMVMTs/status/2002902955633283099?s=20 While there are a number of C-130 Hercules variants in Puerto Rico, a screencap of that video shows that antennas under the tail and on top of the aircraft behind the cockpit conclusively show this is an EC-130H Compass Call. ![]() *EC-130H. (Screencap via Pinchito.Avgee Instagram account.)* Though the Air Force is[ phasing these aircraft out]() in favor of [EA-37B Compass Call jets](), the EC-130H brings capabilities that would be called upon for an attack on Venezuela should one be ordered. The heavily modified C-130 Hercules cargo planes carry a suite of electronic attack gear that can find and track “emitters” like radios and radars and then scramble their signals. This equipment can also jam cell phones. ![A U.S. Air Force EC-130H Compass Call aircraft taxis on the flightline at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., July 18, 2024. The EC-130H allowed the Air Force to jam communications, navigation systems, early warning and acquisition radars during tactical air, ground and maritime operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jasmyne Bridgers-Matos)]() *A U.S. Air Force EC-130H Compass Call aircraft taxis on the flightline at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., July 18, 2024. The EC-130H allowed the Air Force to jam communications, navigation systems, early warning and acquisition radars during tactical air, ground and maritime operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jasmyne Bridgers-Matos) Senior Airman Jasmyne Bridgers-Matos* The equipment aboard the Compass Call would help to blind Venezuelan air defenses, communications and command and control, making it harder to respond to attacks by combat aircraft and cruise missiles. The four-engine aircraft can fly for many hours without refueling and much longer with tanker support, giving U.S. Southern Command a long-loitering airborne EW platform. [As we noted in an earlier story](): “Previous iterations of the EC-130H-based Compass Call system have proven their value in combat zones on multiple occasions in the past two decades. A contingent of these aircraft was continuously forward-deployed in the Middle East, from where they also supported operations in Afghanistan, between 2001 and 2021. EC-130Hs[ supported the raid]() that led to the death of Al Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011 and prevented the detonation of an improvised explosive device that might have killed then-Maj. Gen. James Mattis, who later rose to the rank of General and also[ served as Secretary of Defense]() under Trump, in Iraq in 2003, among many other exploits, according to a recent[ story from *Air Force Times*]().” ![]() *Maintenance troops and aircrew members prepare a U.S. Air Force EC-130H aircraft for its final departure from an undisclosed air base on Aug. 29, 2010. (U.S. Air Force photo by Maj. Dale Greer) Maintenance troops and aircrew members prepare a U.S. Air Force EC-130H aircraft for its final departure from an undisclosed air base on Aug. 29, 2010. *Credit: U.S. Air Force photo by Maj. Dale Greer** The current status and location of the Compass Call are not publicly known. The videographer told us he only saw it land. A U.S. official we spoke with could not comment on the arrival of the EC-130H but told us that there have been no new military orders for Southern Spear. The EC-130H joins a squadron of [E/A-18G Growler electronic attack jets](), deployed on the aircraft carrier USS *Gerald R. Ford*, [as well as another squadron on land](), as airborne electronic warfare assets now operating in the Caribbean. While Compass Calls offer some overlapping capabilities and some significantly different ones than the Growlers, the arrival of the EC-130J is another indication that electronic warfare is clearly taking a lopsided focus compared to the size of the rest of the fighting force deployed in the region. ![A contingent of six U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler electronic warfare jets, roughly a full squadron, is now forward-deployed at the former Naval Station Roosevelt Roads in Puerto Rico.]() *A stock picture of a US Navy EA-18G Growler. USAF/Staff Sgt. Gerald Willis* While it is unclear if the Compass Call has performed any of its offensive operations yet, both the U.S. and Venezuela are using defensive jamming to protect assets. This has become an increasing problem for the region as tensions rise. “At least some of the U.S. warships that have [deployed to the Caribbean in recent months]() have been jamming GPS signals in their vicinity,” [*The New York Times* reported](), citing an analysis of data provided by Stanford University and a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters. In an effort to protect important resources, “the armed forces of President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela have jammed the GPS signals around the country’s critical infrastructure, including military bases, oil refineries and power plants,” the publication noted, citing an analysis by Spire Global, a satellite data firm. Combined, the jamming is raising concerns for aviation. “Whether jamming is due to the U.S. or Venezuelan forces, it really doesn’t matter: You don’t want an aircraft going in there,” Gen. Willie Shelton, the former head of the U.S. Air Force’s Space Command, told *The Times*. https://twitter.com/AKurmanaev/status/2003106454421561568?s=20%5C%5C As for the EC-130Hs, the aircraft is being retired from the Air Force inventory. “Currently, the U.S. Air Force is operating and maintaining eight EC-130H aircraft,” Capt. Ridge Miller, a spokesperson for Air Combat Command (ACC) told *The War Zone* Monday afternoon. “A total of 10 EA-37B aircraft [are on track to be delivered ]()while simultaneously retiring the EC-130H fleet in a phased approach. Both platforms currently operate out of the 55th Electronic Combat Group at Davis Monthan AFB in Arizona.” The EA-37B is based on a heavily modified version of the Gulfstream G550 airframe. ![The US Air Force's future EC-37B electronic warfare jets are now EA-37Bs, which is meant to highlight their ability to not only find and attack various types of targets, but destroy them.]() *An EA-37B Compass Call jet. (L3Harris) L3Harris* In addition to the Compass Call, other C-130 variants are operating out of Puerto Rico. One of which is the [Marine Corps' KC-130J Hercules]() tanker/transport aircraft. The KC-130Js uses the[ probe-and-drogue method]() for Navy and Marine Corps aircraft, and is used to refuel fixed-wing fighter aircraft and helicopters. Plane spotter @LatAmMilMovements told us that at least one of these aircraft, and sometimes two, have had a steady presence ever since Marine F-35B Lightnings [arrived in Puerto Rico in September](). This matches the imagery and satellite photos we have seen of the installation for months now. AV-8B Harriers, MV-22 Ospreys, and CH-53 Sea Stallions, all from the *USS Iwo Jima* and its flotilla, are also using the base regularly and they can all refuel from the KC-130J. Air Force [HC-130J Combat King II]() combat search and rescue (CSAR) planes are also flying out of Puerto Rico. Traditionally, they provide fuel to [HH-60W Jolly Green Giant II ]()CSAR helicopters, CV-22 Ospreys, and, to a lesser degree, the [160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR)]() helicopters. These types are just part of a growing fleet of aerial refuelers in the region. The Air Force has also deployed [KC-135 Stratotankers]() and [KC-46 Pegasus]() tankers to the Dominican Republic and U.S. Virgin Islands. https://twitter.com/idreesali114/status/2002874817759117397?s=20 As more tanker aircraft arrive in Puerto Rico, they are also building up at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. Aerial images show at least 28 KC-135s at the base. The image also shows at least two [E-3 Sentry]() Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft are operating from MacDill, located about 1,400 miles northwest of Venezuela. [As we pointed out last week](), at least one Sentry was recently tracked on FlightRadar24 flying close to the Venezuelan coast. https://twitter.com/flyrogo/status/2002855902576308578?s=20 While E-3s may have been present but not trackable over the Caribbean in recent days, this one being trackable was not a mistake. U.S. military aircraft executing easily trackable sorties very near Venezuelan airspace have been a key component of the pressure campaign placed on Maduro. In addition to the growing military pressure on the Venezuelan leader, the U.S. is also raising the stakes economically. Since President Donald Trump [declared a blockade against sanctioned oil tankers](), U.S. authorities [have seized two tankers](). On Sunday, the Coast Guard was[ in “active pursuit”]() of the massive tanker *Bella 1* after it refused to submit to U.S. seizure efforts. The status of that effort was unclear as of Monday afternoon. We have reached out to the Coast Guard for more details. https://twitter.com/DI313\_/status/2003072584167092636?s=20 Though the military and economic pressure are building on Maduro, Trump’s exact intentions remain an open question, although they appear to be becoming clearer by the day. During his announcement of the new *Trump* class battleships Monday afternoon, the president again said that the U.S. would soon be going after drug cartels on land; however, he explained that would not just be focused on Venezuela. *Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com* ## Author Howard is a Senior Staff Writer for *TWZ*. He writes frequently about conflict, focusing heavily on the Middle East and Ukraine, and interviews with military and intelligence officials and industry leaders from around the globe. He lives near Tampa, Florida, home of U.S. Central Command, U.S. Special Operations Command. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [LinkedIn]()