Italy buys American L3 Harris EA-37B Compass Call electronic attack aircraft
Italy, July 24, 2025 – In September 2017, the US Air Force (USAF) announced that L3 Technologies would serve as the prime systems integrator for the future Compass Call aircraft based on the Gulfstream G550 business jet. The new electronic attack aircraft was designated the EA-37B Compass Call by Air Combat Command on November 14, 2023.
It would not be surprising if Gulfstream Aerospace had not stopped production of the Gulfstream G550 business jet, which is the EA-37B platform, in the meantime. For civilian customers, it was replaced on the production line by the G600 model in October 2019, while limited series production of the G550 for military orders continued until June 2021, roughly the same period when the production of Slovak F-16V fighters was delayed by Covid.
Presentation of the G600 model by manufacturers. The cessation of G550 production four years ago did not affect the G500 model, which had a reduced fuel tank capacity and therefore a shorter range compared to the G550:
If the air force of any state with a long-term vision of defense planning wants the EA-37B, the journey begins with finding a used G550 platform. Nothing that should bother Italy, which has Gulfstream G550s in stock. Not for the evacuation of mountaineers from Pakistan, poignantly robbing the Slovak Minister of Defense of sleep, but for special combat missions.
In 2012, Italy ordered two G550 CAEW aircraft as part of the counter-performance for Israel’s order for 30 advanced Italian M-346 jet trainers. They are equipped with the EL/W-2085 sensor package (a newer derivative of the Israeli AWACS system Phalcon) for airborne early warning systems. The C in CAEW stands for conformal, the original Phalcon was on a much larger four-engined Boeing 707 jet airliner.
Italian AWACS at an air show in Fairford, UK:
In December 2020, Italy purchased 8 Gulfstream G550 aircraft, with the decision that the first two would be modified for the AISREW (Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Electronic Warfare) mission with the L3 Harris onboard package, and the remaining six would be delivered as “green” aircraft, which would be equipped with mission systems later. In reality, the Italian AISREWs will probably be more similar to the Australian MC-55A Peregrine, but a foreign video also shows a possible appearance of the Italian AISREWs.
It can be assumed that the main task of the two Italian AISREW machines will be SIGINT, i.e. the collection of intelligence information in the form of intercepting enemy communications (COMINT) and the transmission of other than communication electronic signals. (ELINT, for example, radar transmissions). To a lesser extent, reconnaissance or electronic warfare. Two more aircraft should focus on this – this time the EA-37B Compass Call.
Only on 2.5.2025 did the first training flight of the EA-37B take place from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, USA. Pilots from the 55th Electronic Warfare Group of the US Air Force take off, the goal was to provide basic familiarization with the aircraft for members of the 43rd Electronic Warfare Squadron.
The Italians are wasting no time, and on July 21, 2025, BAE Systems (LON:BA) announced that it had been awarded a $12 million contract from L3Harris (NYSE:LHX) to support the conversion of two Gulfstream G550 aircraft into airborne electronic attack (EA) platforms for the Italian Air Force. The project aims to provide Italy with enhanced long-range capabilities to disrupt and suppress enemy command, control, communications, navigation and air defense systems. In other words, the machine is not only capable of combating early warning radar systems, but thanks to its targeted irradiation of objects, it can also be used in operations to suppress or destroy enemy air defense systems (SEAD/DEAD).
Foreign reports on the Italian EA-37B already include information on the allocation of 300 million USD for L3 Harris, from the P-MMMS (Piattaforma Multi-Missione, Multi-Sensore – Multi-mission, multi-sensor platform) program worth 1.632 billion Euros, of which 638 million have already been allocated. The Italians are left with 4 “green” Gulfstream G550 aircraft.
Max Bach
