Northrop Grumman Delivers New BACN-Equipped Global Hawk to Air Force Ahead of Schedule

Northrop Grumman Corporation delivered a Global Hawk unmanned aircraft to the U.S. Air Force carrying the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) – expanding airborne communications and information sharing among military units in harsh environments.

Northrop Grumman produced and delivered the system four months ahead of schedule as part of an ongoing BACN development, operations and maintenance contract to support U.S. Central Command missions.

"By pairing BACN and Global Hawk, military commanders can provide the system's critical capabilities during a single flight lasting more than 30 hours," said George Guerra, Global Hawk unmanned air systems vice president with Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "This is important when ground units operate in mountainous terrain where land-based communications systems don't function as well."

Read more