Bombardier has handed over its ninth Global aircraft to the U.S. Air Force for the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) program, the company announced today. The BACN aircraft, a Global 6500, was delivered during a ceremony this month at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts under an indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract affirmed in 2021 and valued at up to $465 million. That agreement succeeded earlier contracts with the USAF for the communications platform that date back nearly two decades.
Known as the E-11A and referred to as “Wi-Fi in the sky,” the aircraft is used as a specialized high-altitude communication platform to bridge voice and tactical data between aircraft and land forces. The USAF has cited the aircraft’s flexible deployment options and ability to operate at high altitudes as enabling its forces to overcome communications difficulties caused by mountains, rough terrain, or distances and increasing situational awareness in the air and on the ground.
“At Bombardier Defense, we are honored to see our reliable, high-performing Global aircraft serve the United States Air Force in critical missions worldwide through the BACN program,” said Jean-Christophe Gallagher, executive v-p of aircraft sales and Bombardier Defense. “We are grateful for the longstanding trust of the U.S. Air Force, and we look forward to continuing to support the operational needs of the United States.”