BACN supplies a long-range safe communication functionality, performing as a “gateway” system that bridges the hole between disparate platforms that can’t talk immediately.
All through Operation Epic Fury, kinetic capabilities had been within the highlight, with fighter jets and bombers constantly putting Iranian targets with heavy ordnance. Nevertheless, behind the scenes, there was one other specialised asset which helped make this attainable: the E-11A and its Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN).
In trendy air warfare, connectivity is as vital as kinetic functionality. The E-11A BACN is designed to bridge communication gaps between in any other case incompatible methods, particularly as a army forces in the present day area a wide selection of communication and datalink methods.
Although working largely out of public view, the E-11A has performed a pivotal function, enabling real-time knowledge alternate between platforms working on totally different datalinks and frequency bands.
BACN’s Origins
BACN (or “Bacon”, because the system is usually pronounced) was developed because of classes realized throughout operations within the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan. The truth is, because the early days, line of sight communications between totally different items would continuously turn out to be hampered by the terrain.
As a workaround, a particularly geared up plane at excessive altitude could be used as a bridging node. This may permit items to relay their communications and datalinks by the plane for clear, unbroken communication, so long as they’d a transparent view of the sky.
Preliminary trials of the expertise concerned a NASA WB-57 Canberra plane, which additionally made uncommon deployments to Afghanistan. Its service ceiling nicely in extra of 60,000 ft made it an ideal match for the BACN mission.
The tools would later be fitted to the International government jet platform, with a decrease however nonetheless spectacular service ceiling of 51,000 toes, which obtained the designation E-11A. Notably, the primary plane was uniquely geared up with the 2 giant radomes that had been fitted throughout its function as a testbed for the Royal Air Drive Sentinel R1, though they weren’t used for the BACN payload.
Three EQ-4B International Hawks had been deployed throughout Operation Inherent Resolve with the identical BACN payload because the E-11A fleet. This unmanned functionality was retired in 2021 in favor of an elevated variety of E-11As, and the EQ-4Bs had been handed to the Division of Protection Take a look at Useful resource Administration Middle to assist weapons improvement exams.
The Payload
The Battlefield Airborne Communications Node payload, typically described as ‘Wi-Fi within the sky’, consists of a number of sorts of radios and knowledge hyperlink tools put in within the plane’s cabin. The expertise not solely permits communications to be relayed, but additionally facilitates the interpretation of in any other case incompatible radio or datalink protocols.
An identical description was additionally supplied by Northrop Grumman, which developed the system. “BACN allows a high-altitude, airborne communications gateway that interprets and distributes imagery, voice and tactical knowledge from disparate sources,” stated the corporate.
BACN thus permits real-time communications and knowledge transmission throughout incompatible methods, each with U.S. forces and allies with totally different tools. BACN is reportedly being modified to permit fourth- to fifth-generation knowledge sharing between fighter jets.
The tools is remotely managed from a floor station out of Robins AFB, or ahead areas. The truth is, the E-11’s crew consists solely of two pilots and no mission specialists, with the payload configured on the bottom earlier than the sortie after which managed remotely.
Up to now, BACN has additionally been in comparison with low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites for communications. These nonetheless current some variations which may restrict their utility in army operations.
“BACN distinguishes itself by being an airborne, versatile, low-latency, interoperable communication node that bridges totally different tactical networks in actual time, overcoming the line-of-sight and compatibility limitations that sometimes problem satellite-based and ground-based communication relay,” instructed us Aaron Dann, vice chairman, connectivity and community options, Northrop Grumman.
In recent times, the U.S. army has been adopting Starshield, Starlink’s army equal, however, even when it has a low latency, it requires devoted terminals and may’t translate knowledge as BACN does. This was equally talked about by Dann: “House-based and mesh networks supply potential for dependable, distributed networking, nonetheless, BACN stays uniquely suited to tactical bridging of various communication methods with low-latency and mobility in advanced operational theaters.”
As connectivity and communications are mission vital gadgets and threats to them are always evolving, the system must be simply upgradeable. “BACN was designed with open structure from the beginning, which facilitates new processing strategies and the implementation of latest waveform necessities as mission want drives demand,” instructed us Dann on this regard.
Because the BACN payload has already been put in on totally different platforms, it can’t be excluded that this might occur once more, particularly with the Air Drive trying to give a much bigger function to cargo and tanker plane. “Now we have developed BACN to be platform-agnostic and have variations of the system that may be positioned on cargo and tanker plane, in addition to smaller-form podded methods that permit our prospects to make use of BACN in extremely versatile methods,” instructed us Dann.
The E-11A
The E-11A’s base airframe is a Bombardier BD-700-1A10 enterprise jet, also called International 6000, modified to hold the BACN payload within the cabin. The selection of this plane will not be informal, and is justified by some good causes.
A primary purpose is discovered within the efficiency of the International, which encompasses a 6,000 nautical miles vary and 51,000 ft service ceiling. The plane can fly for over 12 hours and at an optimum altitude for communications and knowledge transmission.
One more reason is the robust monitor document of reliability, which helps with the maintainability of the E-11A, and the commonality of the airframe, which is very widespread around the globe. This enables to drive down value and logistical issues associated not solely to U.S.-based operations, but additionally forward-deployed operations.
Final, however not least, the International 6000 is understood for having a spacious inside, which permits for the straightforward set up of BACN’s refined communication and knowledge processing methods. A uncommon picture of the E-11A’s inside exhibits a number of tools racks put in aboard, whereas nonetheless permitting sufficient area for engineers to work on them.
Operational Historical past
The E-11A was first leased at first of the BACN program and later purchased by the Air Drive in 2011. In 2019, it transitioned to a long-term program of document with an preliminary fleet of 4 plane.
Initially, all of the E-11A plane had been assigned to the 430th Expeditionary Digital Fight Squadron (EECS) at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, offering close to fixed protection in theater along with the EQ-4B International Hawk UAS (Unmanned Aerial System). BACN was thus a deployed-only functionality.
Following the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, the unit reportedly moved to Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia. The plane has since turn out to be a extra conventional presence within the U.S., with an E-11A even making the kind’s first ever public look at an airshow in 2025.
Abroad operations have continued, although, with the plane notably serving to to coordinate multinational help drops over Gaza in June 2024. Moreover, the E-11 additionally took half in Train Yellow Sands, a regional coaching occasion aimed toward boosting teamwork in Counter-Unmanned Aerial Methods (C-UAS) and Built-in Air and Missile Protection (IAMD), filling a “vital hole” within the sharing of knowledge.
The fleet is presently reportedly deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, supporting the operations within the U.S. Central Command’s (CENTCOM) Space of Accountability (AoR) as a part of Operation Epic Fury. In response to the reviews, the presence of the E-11 there was elevated in early February 2026, forward of the strikes in Iran, with all however one plane deployed.
🇺🇸 #USAF E-11A BACN fleet (6); final reported areas 2026-04-12Z 🥓
Prince Sultan Air Base 🇸🇦 (6)➢ N770AG (11-9355 #ae4de1) #AA690E (52d)➢ 22-9046 #ae77a3 (40d)➢ 22-9047 #ae77a4 (20d)➢ 12-9506 #ae54b4 (16d)➢ 23-9048 #ae77a5 (15d)➢ N898M (24-9049 #af83f0) #AC641F… pic.twitter.com/gCtwelWiKN
— Steffan Watkins (@steffanwatkins) April 13, 2026
The Fleet
The E-11A fleet has modified composition over time. Initially, the fleet included solely 4 plane, one among them being the testbed for the Royal Air Drive Sentinel R1, serial 11-9001.
One plane was misplaced in Afghanistan with two fatalities in 2020, with a mechanical failure and subsequent pilot error discovered to be the trigger. A yr later, the Air Drive introduced the procurement of six new plane, with a deliberate fleet of 9 plane by the top of fiscal yr 2027.
The ninth plane was delivered to Hanscom Air Drive Base, Massachusetts, in September 2025. Hanscom is the headquarters of the BACN program workplace and is accountable for equipping the plane with the BACN payload, upon which it’s going to turn out to be an E-11A.
The plane, upon changing into E-11As, are stationed at Robins Air Drive Base, Georgia, with the 18th Airborne Command and Management Squadron. The unit already operated three plane in 2023, in keeping with reviews.
Whereas the supply of the ninth plane appeared to carry the Air Drive as much as the deliberate fleet figures, it now seems that among the oldest E-11A airframes had been retired. The truth is, an E-11 was included on the U.S. Air Drive’s divestiture checklist for the 2025 monetary yr.
This led many to imagine that the fleet could be decreased from 9 to eight plane, nonetheless it seems that two plane had been retired, in keeping with justification paperwork. The service talked about that “BACN is presently carried on six E-11As, and the seventh and remaining plane shall be delivered by the top of 2025,” referring to the plane delivered in September.
Airframe 11-9001 is probably going among the many ones retired, as it’s virtually 30 years outdated and recorded a major variety of flight hours. Whereas the serial will not be explicitly talked about, the doc mentions a prototype plane, whereas mentioning that the procurement of an plane has been cancelled.
“Air Drive divests one E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) prototype (authentic) and one procurement plane in FY 2025 and related flying hours, weapon methods sustainment (WSS), O&M, and weapon methods functionality (WSC) modifications. The prototype check plane divestment has many structural and digital limitations and distinctive configurations, and it doesn’t supply the complete mission functionality of manufacturing E-11s. The prototype is tough and costly to maintain mission-ready and to improve (value avoidance). The E-11 complete plane stock (TAI) has been decreased to seven plane, so the FY 2025 procurement was cancelled.”
This thus confirms the discount of the fleet from 9 to seven plane. Whereas 11-9001 has not been tracked on-line for a while, according to its supposed retirement, it’s unclear which different plane was retired/cancelled.
The plane delivered in 2025, serial 24-9049, continues to be flying and has additionally been deployed to CENTCOM’s AoR. It’s thus unclear which plane was the FY 2025 procurement cancellation referring to.
