L3Harris Technologies has received a $300 million contract from Italy to deliver two Gulfstream G550 aircraft modified for electromagnetic warfare operations, marking the first U.S. government-approved sale of the EA-37B system to an international ally.
Jeroen van Veenendaal/Defensie, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
The contract, announced Jul. 21, includes aircraft modifications and electronic attack mission systems that will provide the Italian Air Force with airborne jamming capabilities to disrupt enemy communications, radar, and navigation systems. BAE Systems serves as a key subcontractor, receiving $12 million to provide aircraft modification hardware including racks, radomes, cables, and harnesses.
The EA-37B represents a modernization of electronic warfare capabilities, replacing the legacy EC-130H Compass Call aircraft with a commercial derivative platform based on the Gulfstream G550 business jet. The U.S. Air Force took delivery of its first EA-37B in August 2024 at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.
The U.S. Air Force plans to replace its entire EC-130H fleet with EA-37B aircraft. Nine of 14 EC-130H aircraft have been divested to date, with the 55th Electronic Combat Group at Davis-Monthan AFB serving as the sole operator of Compass Call aircraft in worldwide operations.
The EA-37B aircraft will provide extended range, altitude, and endurance compared to the EC-130H, allowing operators to conduct long-range jamming operations from safer distances. The system is designed to deny, degrade, and disrupt adversary communications, information processing, navigation, radar systems, and radio-controlled threats.
According to U.S. Air Force officials, the EA-37B enables real-time adaptive decision-making and supports joint operations by limiting adversaries’ situational awareness and disrupting their use of the electromagnetic spectrum.
The sale represents part of Italy’s broader defense modernization efforts and will integrate with the country’s Joint Airborne Multi-Mission Multi-Sensor System (JAMMS) program. L3Harris is currently modifying two G550 intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft under the existing JAMMS contract. The JAMMS aircraft, designated as Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, Electronic Warfare (AISREW) platforms, are undergoing modifications at Gulfstream’s Savannah, Georgia facility before transfer to L3Harris’ Greenville, Texas modification center.
The Italian AISREW platforms will feature a configuration similar to L3Harris’ MC-55A Peregrine aircraft delivered to Australia, including a long canoe fairing underneath the fuselage housing synthetic aperture radar and ground moving target indicator systems, ISR sensors, and Line-of-Sight data links. Mission antennas will be mounted on top and underneath the fuselage, with radar equipment in the nose and tail cone, and a retractable electro-optical/infrared turret under the tail.
The State Department approved the potential Foreign Military Sale in October 2024, determining it would support U.S. foreign policy goals and improve NATO interoperability. The approval covered mission systems and related equipment with an estimated total cost of $680 million, though the actual contract value came in at $300 million.
The EA-37B sale to Italy may serve as a template for future international electronic warfare modernization programs, as NATO allies seek to standardize capabilities and improve coalition operations effectiveness in contested electromagnetic environments.
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