BACN completes 10,000th combat mission

The US Air Force's Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) completed its 10,000th combat mission across its manned and unmanned aircraft fleet in March, Northrop Grumman announced on 23 March.

The BACN, developed, operated, and maintained by Northrop Grumman, is carried by four of the air force's E-11A aircraft and three Northrop Grumman EQ-4B Block 20 Global Hawk UAS.

The system bridges and extends communications among different datalink networks and disparate users in the air and on the ground, acting as an airborne gateway that translates and distributes voice communications, video, imagery and other battlespace information from numerous sources. It provides situational awareness and enables better command and control coordination between personnel at different levels of the chain of command.

BACN reached the 10,000 combat mission milestone on 6 March, 2017. A range of missions are supported by the node, including airdrops and overall air operations. The system's beyond-line-of-sight capability has been particularly useful overcoming the communications limitations posed by Afghanistan's rugged terrain.

Jeannie Hilger, vice president, communications business, Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, said: 'This is a significant milestone as the BACN system continues to demonstrate it is absolutely indispensable to our warfighters in the execution of their missions. Airborne gateways greatly increase situational awareness and command and control, capabilities that are equally critical for joint and coalition operations.'