Air Force orders six Bombardier Global 6000 jets to host airborne voice and data communications payloads
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – Military communications experts needed business jet-sized aircraft to host persistent voice and data communications payloads that receives, bridges, and distributes communications among all participants in a battle. They found their solution from Learjet Inc. in Wichita, Kan.
Officials of the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., announced a $464.9 million contract to Learjet on Tuesday to deliver as many as six Bombardier Global 6000 aircraft and completion work to host the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN).
The BACN -- from the Northrop Grumman Corp. Aeronautics Systems segment in San Diego -- is an electronic payload aboard the E-11A manned aircraft and Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk large unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The E-11A is based on the Bombardier Global Express business jet.
The Bombardier Global 6000 is a large-cabin business jet with a range of 6,000 nautical miles that has been updated and modified for military missions. the aircraft is 99.5 feet long, has a wingspan of 94 feet, and can fly at speeds of 600 knots.
The BACN uses the Airborne Executive Processor (AEP) to enable a persistent voice and data gateway in the sky that receives, bridges, and distributes communications among all participants in a battle.
The BACN payload aboard the E-11A and Global Hawk helps enable diverse battlefield weapon systems to communicate with each other during in-theater operations where mountainous terrain, large buildings, or other obstructions inhibit line-of-sight communications.
Military leaders found that such obstructions could limit operating units to see only a limited set of the complete picture of the battlefield. The BACN command and control network is designed to provide situational awareness from small ground units in contact up to the highest command levels, Northrop Grumman officials say.
BACN’s AEP provides translator and gateway interfaces among all supported communications systems, and forwards intelligence information to the Global Information Grid. By controlling the AEP via a ground station, BACN is radio- and platform-agnostic, Northrop Grumman officials say.
On this contract Northrop Grumman will do the work in San Diego and at overseas locations, and should be finished by January 2026. For more information contact Northrop Grumman Aeronautics online at www.northropgrumman.com, or the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at www.aflcmc.af.mil.
John Keller | Editor-in-Chief
John Keller is the Editor-in-Chief, Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine--provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronics and optoelectronic technologies in military, space and commercial aviation applications. John has been a member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since 1989 and chief editor since 1995.
