Bombardier has delivered the US Air Force’s eighth E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) aircraft at the firm’s center in Hartford, Connecticut.
The plane is a modified version of Bombardier’s Global 6000 business jet, which carries communication relay technologies to provide real-time voice and tactical data across the battlespace.
Its high-altitude capability enables the system to act as a “Wi-Fi in the sky” that sustains connection for multi-domain warfighters regardless of terrain and distance challenges.
Bombardier received the $464.8-million contract to supply up to six 6000 jets for the US Air Force’s BACN program in 2021.
Terms of the agreement allow the military to purchase aircraft annually through 2025. Handover of the first E-11A was conducted in September 2022.
“We are proud that Bombardier’s category-defining Global aircraft continue to be a platform of choice for the US Air Force,” Bombardier Defense and Aircraft Sales Executive Vice President Jean-Christophe Gallagher commented on the latest E-11A BACN delivery.
“The speed, agility and low operating costs of our Global jets make them ideally suited for specialized missions meant to strengthen national and international security initiatives, such as the critical BACN program.”
The E-11A Aircraft
The E-11A BACN aircraft is a 100-foot (30-meter) platform with a wingspan of 94 feet (29 meters).
It can carry up to 17 personnel or payloads weighing approximately 5,770 pounds (2,617 kilograms).
The system is powered by twin Rolls-Royce BR710A2-20 high-bypass turbofan engines for a service ceiling of 51,000 feet (15,545 meters) and a top speed of 504 knots (560 miles/933 kilometers per hour).