EC-130H scheduled to retire to ‘boneyard’ this summer

(UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)

05.01.2018

Story by Tech. Sgt. Louis Vega 

386th Air Expeditionary Wing

The EC-130H Compass Call aircraft tail number 65-0989, built in 1965, will head back home to the 55th Electronic Combat Group, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, in June. This will be in preparation for its retirement into the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, also known as the “boneyard.”
“The C-130H has been a workhorse for the U.S. Air Force for many years and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to fly this fantastic aircraft,” said Maj. Ian McKay, 43rd EECS director of operations.
The EC-130 Compass Call is an airborne tactical weapon system. The system disrupts enemy command and control communications and limits adversary coordination.
Compass Call tail number 65-0989 expeditiously executed information warfare and electronic attack operations and participated in recent world developments involving European coalition partners. This aircraft is the oldest Compass Call EC-130 out of 14 in the U.S. Air Force Materiel Command inventory.
The aircraft will be replaced with an upgraded mission-ready Baseline-2 modified EC-130H Compass Call aircraft as part of the EC-130H Avionics Viability Program. It will enhance the EC-130H’s precision and attack capacity, the Baseline-2 modification is claimed to provide the U.S. Department of Defense with the equivalent of a "fifth generation electronic attack capability."
“The biggest change is the replacement of traditional mechanical gauges for navigation and engine instrumentation with electronic displays,” added McKay. “These provide the aircrew with a far greater level of situational awareness and the ability to access modern navigation systems.”
The EC-130H tail number 65-0989 has served in the Compass Call program since the program began in the early 1980’s.
“It will be sad to see 989 depart the runway here, knowing that within six months her propellers will be motionless in the Tucson desert,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Iavarone, 43rd EECS commander. “We have the satisfaction of knowing she provided the blanket of freedom for U.S. and coalition partners throughout the decades with electronic attack capabilities.”
The aircraft will be towed past the 55th ECG maintenance hangar which is adjacent to the “boneyard” on Davis-Monthan AFB.
The 309th AMARG served as a storage facility for B-29 and C-47 aircraft after World War II. Today, it provides critical aerospace maintenance and regeneration capabilities for joint and U.S. coalition warfighters in support of global operations and agile combat support. It has more than 4,400 aircraft and 13 aerospace vehicles from the Air Force, Navy-Marine Corps, Army, Coast Guard, and several federal agencies including NASA.

• Date Taken: 05.01.2018
• Date Posted: 05.06.2018 04:07
• Story ID: 275156
• Location: (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)