The EA-37B Compass Call is an electronic attack weapon system built by L3Harris and BAE Systems for the U.S. Air Force. But underneath its bulky exterior is the Gulfstream G550, one of the most exclusive private jets owned by people like Elon Musk, Mark Cuban and Michael Jordan.
After refitting, the G550 is converted into the EA-37B. The Air Force has been tight lipped about the specifics of what the aircraft is outfitted with. The job of all the hardware is to prevent enemy combatants from effectively using any system that requires operator input.
The EA-37B is an interrupter, using technology to deny the other side an opportunity to use its own tech. It disables the link between the operator and the device, allowing the crew to then disable the device as a whole or — depending on the software — hack into it and take it over.
The EA-37B can fly past 40,000 feet and cruise at over 600 mph — more than 15,000 feet higher and nearly twice the speed of its predecessor, the EC-130.
Right now the Air Force has an order for 10 of these electronic attack aircraft, having taken delivery of the first in 2023. The branch expects to receive five more sometime in 2024.
The first is reportedly undergoing extensive testing before heading to its permanent home at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base near Tucson, Arizona.
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