Northrop Grumman Corp. has won multiple awards with the U.S. Air Force to support the first Battlefield Airborne Communications Node home station in the continental U.S.
Work under the award includes activating a home station to establish the BACN ground and payload operations and support at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia; training for Air Force personnel to operate the BACN platform and payload; and the sustainment and operations for technology contract logistics support for deployment of the platform and the BACN payload capabilities.
Northrop Grumman will also support modernization with the Ka-Band SATCOM upgrades overseas to enable new warfighter missions, enhance command and control to global coverage, and improve communications with higher bandwidth and quality of service.
“We view the activation of the BACN home station as a testament to the operational relevancy and strategic capability of our gateway technology,” said Jenna Paukstis, vice president and general manager of networked information solutions at Northrop Grumman. “This is the next step in delivering persistent battlespace command and control for the U.S. and its allies.”
The BACN E-11A is a high-altitude, airborne communications gateway that distributes voice and tactical data from disparate elements so that joint warfighters in all domains have better situational awareness, communications and coordination.
Northrop Grumman delivered the first BACN E-11A to its new home at Robins AFB. And since the platform’s first deployment in 2008, the company has delivered six BACN payloads.