Northrop Grumman wins BACN contract modifications
Northrop Grumman has announced that it has been awarded two US Air Force (USAF) contract modifications to continue operating and maintaining the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) system in support of overseas contingency missions. The news was announced 23 July 2012.
The contract modifications combined are worth $156 million to the company. Of this $106 million is to extend the deployment and operation of BACN payloads installed in three E-11A Bombardier Global Express BD-700 aircraft and three EQ-4B Block 20 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles until June 2013; while $50 million is for the platform maintenance support of three E-11A aircraft until February 2013.
BACN is a high-altitude, airborne communications and information gateway system that provides situational awareness and command and control coordination between warfighters and commanders. With a suite of computers and radio systems, BACN bridges and extends voice communications and battlespace information from numerous sources.
BACN was first deployed to support Operation Enduring Freedom in 2008.
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