The arrival of the EA-37B Compass Call in Europe signals that NATO’s contest over the electromagnetic spectrum is no longer theoretical but operational and immediate. The United States Air Force has quietly moved its newest electronic warfare jet onto the continent, positioning it at the heart of alliance airspace just as electronic jamming, spoofing, and cyber-enabled attacks shape battlefields from Ukraine to the Middle East. I see this deployment as both a technology milestone and a political message that the signal war is now treated as a front line in its own right.
Rather than dropping bombs, the EA-37B is designed to blind, confuse, and fracture an opponent’s command networks, turning radios, radars, and data links into vulnerabilities. Its first European tour is being choreographed around NATO audiences, from Germany to Turkey, underscoring that this is not a niche capability but a shared shield for the alliance. The question now is how quickly European forces can adapt their doctrine, training, and infrastructure to fight in a battlespace where the most decisive shots are invisible.
From Arizona to Ramstein, a quiet debut with loud implications
The United States Air Force chose to introduce the EA-37B Compass Call to Europe with a carefully managed journey that underlined both reach and restraint. The aircraft was tracked from Arizona across the Atlantic, including an overnight stop at L F Wade International Airport in Bermuda, before it arrived at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. That routing, confirmed as the jet moved from Bermuda to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, underscored that the platform is now fully integrated into long-range operations rather than confined to test ranges in the United States. By the time an Air Force EA-37B Compass Call from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., was photographed parked at Ramstein Air Base, the message was clear: this is no longer a developmental curiosity but an operational tool in the European theater.
The US Air Force has been explicit that the EA-37B is the next-generation Compass Call, a system that migrates legacy jamming and signals intelligence capabilities into a new airframe. Reporting on how the Air Force debuts this new EA-37B Compass Call electronic warfare jet in Europe notes that the mission systems have been integrated into the airframe by L3Harris, preserving the Compass Call name while modernizing the platform. The US Air Force has highlighted that this is part of a broader effort to field advanced electronic warfare aircraft, and the same reporting, By Ryan, underscores that the Air Force sees the EA-37B as central to future operations. In parallel, the broader Compass Call program is framed as a key part of how the Air Force will contest the electromagnetic spectrum in Europe.
A road show for NATO, from Ramstein to Turkish hangars
Once on the ground in Germany, the EA-37B’s presence quickly shifted from quiet arrival to deliberate showcase. The USAF has described how it is using a European tour to introduce the EA-37B Compass Call to NATO allies, with a USAF-operated aircraft, serial 17-5579/”DM”, highlighted as part of that effort. The aircraft’s arrival at Ramstein, according to Tracking the EA, is framed as the start of a broader campaign that could eventually include demonstrations in the Indo-Pacific region as well. In the same coverage, the USAF emphasizes that it is showcasing the EA-37B Compass Call to NATO allies during this European tour, treating the jet as a shared capability rather than a purely national asset.
The tour has already extended beyond Germany. Turkish Air Force personnel examined a U.S. Air Force EA-37B Compass Call electronic warfare aircraft at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, underscoring Ankara’s interest in high-end electronic warfare. Reporting notes that Turkish Air Force personnel inspected a U.S. Air Force EA-37B Compass Call assigned to the 55th Electronic Combat Group, with Turkish Air Force officers walking through the aircraft and its systems. A separate account of the same visit stresses that Turkish Air Force personnel examined the Air Force EA-37B Compass Call in detail, with the Air Force EA described as a cutting edge electronic warfare jet. For NATO, that kind of hands-on exposure is how a niche American platform starts to shape alliance doctrine.
What the EA-37B actually does in the signal fight
Behind the choreography of base visits and photo opportunities lies a more fundamental shift in how airpower is used. Unlike traditional combat aircraft, the EA-37B does not drop weapons; its mission is to deny, degrade, and disrupt enemy communications and command networks from the sky. Technical explainers describe how the EA-37B uses its payload to hack and jam adversary systems, with one account noting that, Unlike conventional strike jets, its value lies in turning hostile radios and data links into liabilities. Its mission profile is summed up in the observation that Its role is to support joint and coalition operations in Europe by attacking the invisible nervous system of enemy forces.
That focus on the electromagnetic spectrum is why the Air Force is treating the EA-37B as a showpiece. Coverage of the new EA-37B Compass Call electronic warfare jet’s maiden voyage to Europe notes that the Air Force is showing off the Compass Call jet’s capabilities to allies, with the New EA platform framed as a leap ahead in jamming and signals intelligence. The same reporting, titled around how the Compass Call Electronic Warfare Jet Makes Maiden Voyage To Europe, stresses that The Air Force is using the Compass Call to demonstrate how electronic warfare can be integrated into air campaigns, with Compass Call presented as a central node in that concept. For NATO planners, this is a preview of how future air tasking orders will pair kinetic and non-kinetic effects in the same strike package.
Europe, the Middle East, and a contested electromagnetic map
The EA-37B’s presence in Europe is not happening in a vacuum. Analysts tracking U.S. electronic warfare aircraft have tied their movements to broader tensions with Iran, with one assessment explicitly titled Military Escalation Against. That report, part of a series in which Misbar Tracks U.S. Electronic Warfare Aircraft, notes that, Amid U.S. threats of a potential military strike, platforms like the EA-37B are being watched closely for signs of escalation. Another analysis from DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA describes how the transatlantic arrival of a United States Air Force EA-37B Compass Call II electronic warfare jet at Ramstein is linked to concerns about a possible conflict with Iran and its regional proxy networks, with the United States Air seen as positioning assets that could be redirected toward the Middle East if needed.
At the same time, there has been intense speculation about whether the EA-37B would head directly to the Middle East. One detailed account notes that, Despite rampant speculation that it would eventually head to the Middle East amid growing tensions with Iran, an EA-37B Compass Ca has instead made its first major publicized stop in Europe, where it is being used for joint and coalition operations. That line, captured in coverage that highlights Despite the Middle East focus, underscores that Europe is now treated as a primary theater for high end electronic warfare. A separate DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA analysis, introduced with the word Share, again links the EA-37B Compass Call II deployment to potential operations against Iran and its proxies. In practice, that means the aircraft’s European basing gives Washington options across a wide arc from the Baltic to the Gulf.
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