First sustained operational sorties mix Rivet Joint intelligence gathering with Compass Name digital assault to refine actual world spectrum dominance ways.
The U.S. Pressure has introduced a major milestone within the integration of two its premiere airborne EW (Digital Warfare) and ISR (Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance) belongings. On Sept. 24, 2025, items from Offutt Air Pressure Base, Nebraska, and Davis Monthan AFB, Arizona, performed the primary sustained collection of sorties combining the RC-135 Rivet Joint with the brand new EA 37B Compass Name in operational situations fairly than inside a scripted, commonplace train. The achievement is being described by commanders in public statements as a serious step ahead in electromagnetic spectrum dominance.
Based on the service, the missions have been carried out by crews from the thirty eighth and 343rd Reconnaissance Squadrons flying the Rivet Joint, working collectively with the forty first and forty third Digital Fight Squadrons which function the EA-37B. Planning classes passed off on Sept. 8, 15 and 22 and culminated within the historic sorties from Offutt AFB. The Air Fight Command launch says the combination is quickly refining joint electromagnetic operations by bringing collectively the sensing and intelligence capabilities of the RC-135 with the digital assault features of the EA-37B. Capt Wesley Ballinger of the thirty eighth Reconnaissance Squadron described the mixed effort as a decisive evolution in how the Air Pressure manages the spectrum struggle.
“The synergistic integration of Rivet Joint’s intelligence gathering with Compass Name’s digital warfare capabilities has confirmed to be a game-changer on the fashionable battlefield. We’re not merely flying sorties; we’re creating a brand new paradigm. By refining ways, strategies, and procedures, we’re making certain our forces preserve a decisive benefit within the electromagnetic spectrum,” stated Capt. Jasmine Harris, thirty eighth RS, weapons & ways flight commander.
The 2 plane, one a veteran “spyplane”, the opposite a model new addition to the fleet, are central to American intelligence and digital warfare capabilities. The RC-135 Rivet Joint gives indicators intelligence assortment, geolocation of emitters and actual time reporting to commanders and strike belongings. The Compass Name, beforehand based mostly on the EC-130H, has transitioned to the Gulfstream-based EA-37B which introduces a contemporary airframe, improved energy technology and house for vital mission system upgrades. The EA-37B is designed to disrupt adversary communications, knowledge hyperlinks and command and management networks, supporting joint drive freedom of motion throughout excessive depth operations.
The Aviationist reported in 2024 that the transition from the EC-130H to the EA-37B represented probably the most profound modernization within the historical past of the Compass Name mission. On the time, we famous that the brand new platform would enable the Air Pressure to combine digital assault right into a wider household of networked belongings, thanks to higher connectivity, longer endurance and a mission suite tailor-made for operations in contested airspace. Earlier this 12 months, we additionally mentioned the rising idea of electromagnetic coordination cells the place platforms just like the RC-135 and EA-37B would group up, with the Rivet Joint figuring out, classifying and monitoring emitters whereas the Compass Name executes tailor-made results to degrade or deny enemy techniques.
As we reported in mid 2025, Air Pressure wargaming paperwork repeatedly highlighted the necessity for built-in digital assault and indicators intelligence throughout future conflicts. These assessments typically referenced the RC-135 and EA-37B as central to the non-kinetic suppression of enemy air defenses and as key contributors to electromagnetic area management. In that reporting we wrote that future joint operations would rely upon quick and resilient knowledge trade between airborne sensors and assault nodes, putting platforms like Rivet Joint and Compass Name on the coronary heart of the electromagnetic kill chain.
In the course of the current sorties, the U.S. Air Pressure demonstrated in follow what these ideas appear to be when executed by operational crews. The Rivet Joint supplied broad space sensing and identification of indicators of curiosity whereas the EA-37B utilized results based mostly on that intelligence. That is the primary time the combination has taken place throughout routine operations fairly than inside a managed coaching atmosphere. Capt Drake Ronnau of the thirty eighth RS stated the missions mirror a recognition that the way forward for warfare lies within the electromagnetic spectrum and that sharpening interoperability is crucial to reach that atmosphere:
“With the way forward for warfare mendacity within the electromagnetic spectrum, it’s essential we sharpen our abilities and improve interoperability to make sure we preserve proficiency in arguably one of the vital essential domains within the battlespace”
The fifty fifth Wing plans to proceed these joint sorties at a charge of as much as 4 monthly. The Air Pressure expects the expertise gained throughout these missions to speed up the event of recent ways, strategies and procedures that can form how each platforms are utilized in world operations. The choice to institutionalize any such integration additionally indicators that electromagnetic warfare is now not thought-about a supporting component however a main area with direct affect on air, land, sea and cyber operations.
The profitable partnership between the RC-135 and EA-37B reinforces a broader shift contained in the Air Pressure towards distributed sensor shooter networks, real-time spectrum maneuver and synchronized results throughout a number of domains.
