The apparent zigzag course is not the true course. That is a fuzzing of the transponder signal, very likely to disguise the true precise position and course. I have seen it often with military aircraft and never with civilian aircraft. Sometimes mil pilots will turn the ADSB transponder off. Sometimes back on again. And sometimes the transponder sends spurious location signals. I wouldn't try to read anything special into it.
>What is this particular craft usually used for?
It is so easy to find out.
Search engine EC130H Compass Call.
(How do you think amateur planefags find out? Doh! same way you could.)
Lockheed EC-130H Compass Call
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EC-130H Compass Call
EC-130H 41st EWS taking off Davis-Monthan AFB (cropped).jpg
An EC-130H Compass Call departs Davis-Monthan AFB
Role Electronic warfare (EW), Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD), offensive counter-information
Manufacturer Lockheed (airframe)
BAE Systems (prime mission equipment)
L3 Communications (aircraft integration and depot maintenance)
Introduction April 1982
Primary user United States Air Force
Number built 14 (USAF)
Unit cost
$165 million
The EC-130H Compass Call is an electronic attack aircraft flown by the United States Air Force. Based on the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules, the aircraft is heavily modified to disrupt enemy command and control communications, perform offensive counterinformation operations, and do other kinds of electronic attack. Planned upgrades will add the ability to attack early warning and acquisition radars.[1] Based at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona, EC-130Hs can be deployed worldwide at short notice to support U.S. and allied tactical air, surface, and special operations forces.
The EC-130H is one of the four main U.S. electronic warfare aircraft, along with the Boeing EA-18 Growler, Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler, and F-16CJ Fighting Falcon, all of which can suppress enemy air defenses while jamming communications, radar, and command-and-control targets.
In September 2017, the Air Force announced that L3 Technologies will serve as the lead systems integrator for a future Compass Call aircraft based on the Gulfstream 550 business jet.[2] The new Compass Call platform has been designated EC-X.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_EC-130H_Compass_Call
I guess you're talking to the anon who posted the screencap. It wasn't me.
I don't really know much except for what I have learned while observing aircraft on this board. Once in a while we get a real ex-military pilot or civilian pilot or someone who has been an air traffic controller on the board and they actually KNOW stuff. I stay out of planefagging about 99% of the time because I'm just an observer like you.
Good night.