Battlefield Airborne Communications Node

"BACN" redirects here. For the class of email, see Bacn.
A Bombardier E-11A at Kandahar International Airport in April 2019.
E-11A 11–9001 at Dubai Airshow 2021

The Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) is a United States Air Force (USAF) airborne communications relay and gateway system carried by the unmanned EQ-4B and the manned Bombardier E-11A aircraft. BACN enables real-time information flow across the battlespace between similar and dissimilar tactical data link and voice systems through relay, bridging, and data translation in line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight situations.[1] Its ability to translate between dissimilar communications systems allows them to interoperate without modification.

Because of its flexible deployment options and ability to operate at high altitudes, BACN can enable air and surface forces to overcome communications difficulties caused by mountains, other rough terrain, or distance. BACN provides critical information to all operational echelons and increases situational awareness by converging tactical and operational air and ground pictures. For example, an Army unit on the ground currently sees a different picture than an aircrew, but with BACN, both can see the same picture.

On 22 February 2010, the US Air Force and the Northrop Grumman BACN Team received the 2010 Network Centric Warfare Award from the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement.[2]

On 27 January 2020, a USAF E-11A crashed in Afghanistan, killing both crew members on board.[3][4]

  1. ^ "The Official Home Page of the U.S. Air Force". af.mil. Archived from the original on 22 April 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  2. ^ "Northrop Grumman Airborne Communications System Wins Award for Outstanding Industry Achievement (NYSE:NOC)". irconnect.com. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  3. ^ "2011 USAF Serial Numbers".
  4. ^ "Engine Failure, Aircrew Mistakes Caused Fatal E-11A Crash in Afghanistan". 21 January 2021.