A U.S. EC-130H Compass Call “electronic attack” aircraft has been spotted over the southern and eastern regions of Iraq.
The aircraft took off on September 24 from Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE’s capital, Abu Dhabi. After crossing the Persian Gulf, the aircraft entered Iraq’s airspace and flew between the southern province of Basrah and the eastern city of Kut in a line parallel to the Iraqi-Iranian border.
NIMBUS35 731581 #USAF SOCOM EC130H Compass Call descent into Al Dhafra after Op #InherentResolve mission over #Iraq. 1035z
To see a/c role … https://t.co/nT8Nigd98Y pic.twitter.com/lfp1d7TKHC— nde (@5472_nde) September 24, 2020
Compass Calls is a heavily modified version of the C-130 Hercules developed to disrupt enemy command and control communications, perform offensive counter-information operations and carry out other kinds of electronic attacks.
The U.S. Air Force’s EC-130Hs carry out missions over the Persian Gulf on a regular basis. Nevertheless, they rarely fly over Iraq.
The U.S. may be intensifying its intelligence operations over Iraq to address the growing threats faced by its forces. In the last few months, a series of attacks targeted U.S. forces and diplomatic mission in the war-torn country.
Iraqi Shiite armed groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are reportedly behind the attacks on U.S. forces.
