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U.S. EC-130H Aircraft in Puerto Rico Signals Expanding Electronic Warfare Posture Toward Venezuela.
A U.S. Air Force EC-130H Compass Call electronic warfare aircraft was observed landing in Puerto Rico on December 22, according to open-source footage. The arrival stands out because only a handful of the specialized aircraft remain in service, suggesting heightened US attention on the Caribbean electromagnetic domain.
On 22 December 2025, Venezuelan news outlet LaPatilla, citing footage from local plane-spotter “Pinchito Aviation Geek” and videos amplified by OSINT accounts on X, reported that a U.S. Air Force EC-130H Compass Call electronic warfare aircraft had landed at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Puerto Rico. The clips show a grey C-130-derived aircraft taxiing at the island’s main international airport, which is co-located with Muñiz Air National Guard Base. At the time of writing, U.S. authorities have not officially confirmed the deployment or its purpose. Given the very small number of EC-130Hs still in service and the wider U.S. build-up in the Caribbean under Operation Southern Spear, the apparent arrival of this niche electronic attack platform is drawing close attention.
A rare US Air Force EC-130H Compass Call electronic warfare aircraft was observed landing at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, drawing attention due to the platform’s limited remaining fleet and its potential role in expanded US electronic warfare activity in the Caribbean (Picture Source: U.S. Air Force / Social Media)
The EC-130H Compass Call is one of the U.S. Air Force’s principal dedicated electronic warfare aircraft, built on a heavily modified C-130 Hercules transport airframe but optimised to attack the electromagnetic spectrum rather than carry cargo. The aircraft’s mission is to disrupt enemy command-and-control communications, restrict an adversary’s ability to coordinate forces, and support suppression of enemy air defences and offensive counter-information operations. The platform is powered by four Allison T56-A-15 turboprop engines and features a 39.7-metre wingspan, 29.3-metre length and maximum take-off weight of around 155 tonnes, giving it a cruising speed of roughly 300 mph at 20,000 feet, a range of about 3,700 kilometres and a service ceiling of 7.6 kilometres.
Its “armament” consists entirely of non-kinetic energy waveforms delivered by a dense array of antennas and high-power transmitters housed in pods and fairings along the fuselage, tail and underwing stations, rather than bombs or missiles. A typical Compass Call combat crew comprises 13 personnel: four dedicated to flying and navigating the aircraft, and nine electronic warfare specialists, cryptologic linguists and mission technicians operating a permanently installed suite of consoles in the former cargo bay. With a unit cost quoted by the Air Force at around 165 million dollars, the EC-130H is a scarce and high-value asset; 14 aircraft were in the active inventory as of 2015, and open sources now indicate that only a few remain operational as the mission transitions to the new EA-37B based on the Gulfstream G550.
All Compass Call aircraft are assigned to Air Combat Command and operated by the 55th Electronic Combat Group (ECG), a tenant of the 355th Fighter Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. The 55th ECG includes two operational squadrons (the 41st and 43rd Electronic Combat Squadrons), a training squadron (42nd ECS), an operations support squadron and a dedicated aircraft maintenance squadron, reflecting the complexity of sustaining the fleet. The EC-130H’s first flight took place in 1981, deliveries began in 1982 and the system reached initial operational capability in 1983, quickly becoming a core element of U.S. electronic warfare capacity. Over more than three decades, Compass Call aircraft have been employed in multiple theatres, including Panama, Haiti, Kosovo, Libya, Iraq, Serbia and Afghanistan, where they have accumulated tens of thousands of combat hours; the Air Force notes that the 41st Expeditionary ECS alone has flown more than 39,000 hours in some 6,800 combat sorties in Afghanistan-related operations. Throughout this period, an incremental “spiral” modernization strategy managed by the Big Safari program office has kept the fleet relevant against new communications technologies.
From a tactical standpoint, the EC-130H forms, together with platforms such as the EA-18G Growler and F-16CJ, part of a U.S. “triad” dedicated to suppression of enemy air defences and broader electronic attack. The aircraft uses high-power noise jamming and more sophisticated, targeted techniques to interfere with radio networks, cellular links, satellite communications, datalinks, navigation systems and, in its more recent configurations, certain early-warning and acquisition radars. Baseline 1 aircraft introduced higher radiated power, wider frequency coverage and digital signal processing, allowing crews to engage a broader set of emitters, while Baseline 2 added improved operator interfaces, automated resource management, expanded satellite communications, upgraded datalinks and airframe changes to enhance performance and survivability.
Many of the Baseline 2 modifications remain classified, but the U.S. Air Force itself characterises the resulting package as providing a “fifth-generation” level of electronic attack capability focused on precision effects and the ability to rapidly integrate “plug-and-play” quick-reaction payloads against unique or emerging threats. In practice, the EC-130H’s combination of long endurance, aerial refuelling compatibility and a large mission crew means it can orbit outside hostile airspace yet continuously monitor, analyse and disrupt an adversary’s communications architecture in near real time.
Strategically, the reported arrival of an EC-130H in Puerto Rico fits within a broader pattern of U.S. force deployments to the Caribbean under Operation Southern Spear, a campaign officially presented as a large-scale counter-narcotics effort but widely interpreted by regional governments and as a pressure tool against Venezuela. Recently, the same operation has seen the deployment of F-35A fighter jets, including the largest ever concentration of fifth-generation fighters in Puerto Rico, alongside other assets, prompting concern from Caracas, Moscow and several Latin American capitals about the risk of escalation. Positioning a Compass Call within reach of northern South America and key maritime choke points would, if confirmed, give Washington a powerful instrument to monitor and potentially degrade communications used not only by drug-trafficking networks but also by state armed forces, coastal surveillance systems and regional command structures.
The aircraft are capable of delivering advanced electronic support and, if ordered, conducting electronic attack operations in coordination with U.S. air and naval forces participating in Operation Southern Spear. Their presence complicates efforts by regional actors to coordinate responses. For U.S. partners in the region, this capability may represent an added layer of protection against transnational criminal networks. However, for others, most notably Venezuela and its allies, it underscores the growing perception that the electromagnetic spectrum has become a primary battlefield in their ongoing confrontation with the United States.
On the basis of the publicly available video and OSINT communities, the sighting of an EC-130H at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport remains an observation rather than an officially acknowledged deployment, but it already carries weight. A platform that expensive, rare and specialised is rarely moved without a clearly defined operational objective, whether to support ongoing missions, to pre-position capabilities for contingencies or to send a deliberate strategic message. Until the U.S. Department of War clarifies the aircraft’s status, governments will continue to read its presence as a signal that, alongside the visible build-up of fighters, bombers and warships, Washington is also positioning high-end electronic warfare tools in the Caribbean theatre, underlining how control of the electromagnetic domain has become a decisive factor in both counter-narcotics operations and any potential crisis involving Venezuela.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.