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U.S. Air Force

Electronic Warfare

The specialists who fight in the invisible electromagnetic spectrum. EW operators jam enemy radars, spoof communications, and protect friendly aircraft with countermeasures. The war you cannot see is the one they are winning.

Electronic Warfare
Explore EW Units
EW Squadrons / Compass Call / ECM
The Invisible Battlefield Est. 1942
EW
ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM
Electronic Warfare
Jamming / Spoofing / Countermeasures
EW
Electronic Warfare
ECM
Electronic Countmsr
EA
Electronic Attack
ES
ELECTRONIC SUPPORT
Electronic Warfare encompasses three pillars. Electronic Attack jams or destroys enemy electronics. Electronic Protection defends friendly systems from jamming. Electronic Support detects and locates enemy emitters. EW operators on EC-130H Compass Call aircraft jam enemy communications and radar. EW pods on fighters confuse incoming missiles. EW specialists analyze threat systems and program defensive countermeasures. The electromagnetic spectrum is a battlefield, and EW owns it. Read more
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From Window to Compass Call 1943 - Present
COMPASS CALL
DAVIS-MONTHAN AFB
EC-130H Compass Call
Airborne Electronic Attack
EC-130H
Compass Call
Jamming
Comms Disruption
Davis-Monthan
Home Station
EC-37B
REPLACEMENT
The EC-130H Compass Call has been the Air Force's primary airborne electronic attack platform for decades, operated by the 55th Electronic Combat Group at Davis-Monthan AFB. Compass Call jams enemy command and control communications, disrupts early warning networks, and creates confusion in enemy air defense systems. It flew in Desert Storm, Allied Force, OIF, and OEF. The EC-37B is the replacement, built on the Gulfstream G550 business jet airframe. Read more
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FIGHTER EW
SELF-PROTECTION
Fighter EW Systems
Pods / Chaff / Flares / Towed Decoys
ALQ-131
EW Pod
Chaff
Radar Decoy
Flares
IR Countermeasure
DIRCM
DIRECTED IR CM
Every fighter aircraft carries electronic warfare self-protection systems. EW pods like the ALQ-131 and ALQ-184 jam enemy radar-guided missiles. Chaff dispensers create clouds of radar-reflective material. Flares decoy infrared-guided missiles. Modern systems include towed radar decoys and directed infrared countermeasures. EW specialists on the ground program these systems with threat-specific countermeasure profiles before every combat mission. Read more
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EW
Electronic Warfare
EC-130H
Compass Call
EC-37B
Replacement
ECM
Countermeasures