Northrop Grumman awarded BACN extension

Senior Airman Jose pulls a set of chalks while escorting an RQ-4 Global Hawk back to a hangar during ground operations at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, Sept. 18, 2015. Jose is an assistant dedicated crew chief assigned to the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Christopher Boitz)

Northrop Grumman has been awarded a $55.6 million contract extension for platform support and maintenance of the Battlefield Airborne Communication Node (BACN). The work will be performed in overseas locations.

BACN uses manned aircraft and Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles UAVs to serve as communications nodes, allowing transmissions in rugged terrain where mountains disrupt line-of-sight signals.