Northrop Grumman [NOC] said on June 6 that the U.S. Air Force has awarded the corporate an almost $269 million task order through January, 2027 for continued operations and sustainment of the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN).
Bombardier
Global 6000s, once outfitted with the Northrop Grumman BACN package, turn into E-11As within the Air Force inventory.
Last October, the Air Force selected Northrop Grumman to support the aircraft at their first base within the continental United States–Robins AFB, Ga. (, Oct. 17, 2023).
The duty order announced by Northrop Grumman on June 6 covers operations and sustainment of current and future payloads; 24/7 connectivity; and “inclusion of the BACN platform in 4 large force customer exercises per yr at some point of the duty order,” the corporate said.
In January last yr, the Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $464 million contract through Jan. 23, 2028 for “platform maintenance and major operating base contractor logistics support establishment.”
A month later, the Air Force activated the 18th Airborne Command and Control Squadron at Robins to fly BACN. The BACN squadron under the 319th Reconnaissance Wing at Grand Forks, N.D., is predicted be fully operational by fiscal yr 2027.
In January 2021 the Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman a BACN operations and sustainment contract price as much as $3.6 billion.
The BACN payload has had extensive combat field time since deployment began on Global Hawk drones in October 2008, Northrop Grumman has said (, Apr. 22, 2022).
Kevin Berkowitz, Northrop Grumman’s vice chairman of secure processing and networks, said in the corporate’s statement on June 6 that “the battlespace is becoming increasingly complex, and the information interoperability BACN provides between legacy and emerging systems will likely be critical to future mission success.”
Northrop Grumman said on June 6 that BACN will likely be critical in allowing Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control.
“BACN technology reduces line-of-sight issues by enabling real-time information flow across the battlespace between similar and dissimilar tactical data link and voice systems through relay, bridging, and data translation,” the Air Force has said. “Due to its flexible deployment options and skill to operate at high altitudes, BACN allows air and surface forces to beat communications difficulties attributable to mountains, rough terrain, or distance.”