Jane Edwards
Northrop Grumman has secured a task order from the U.S. Air Force to continue providing operations and sustainment support services for the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node aircraft through January 2027.
The task order covers sustainment and operations support for future and existing payloads linked to the high-altitude BACN platform, related ground stations, system integration laboratories and ancillary equipment and inclusion of the BACN system in four large force exercises each year, Northrop said Thursday.
“As a program of record with nearly a quarter million combat and non-combat flight hours, the commitment to the program’s sustainment demonstrates the indispensable role BACN plays in today’s missions,” said Kevin Berkowitz, vice president of secure processing and networks at Northrop.
“The battlespace is becoming increasingly complex, and the data interoperability BACN provides between legacy and emerging systems will be critical to future mission success,” added Berkowitz.
BACN is an airborne communications connectivity system designed to distribute voice, imagery and tactical data across domains and platforms to improve coordination and situational awareness in support of joint warfighters.
In January 2023, Northrop received a $464 million contract to provide sustainment and operations services for the Air Force’s fleet of BACN E-11A aircraft.
