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July 17, 2009 Northrop Grumman to Provide BACN for Air Force
The U.S. Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $276 million contract for the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN), an airborne communications system. The contract includes installing BACN on two Bombardier BD-700 Global Express aircraft and two Global Hawk Block 20 UAVs. The company said the pact also includes its support for the existing BACN-equipped BD-700, which the Air Force deployed in December 2008. "BACN's ability to translate and share data among disparate battlefield communications systems using our gateway manager algorithms and Internet protocols resolves interoperability problems, provides commanders and warfighters with battle-space-awareness, and most importantly, gives the ground soldier persistent communications with ground support platforms and command centers," said Roger Fujii, vice president of Network Communication Systems for Northrop Grumman's Information Systems sector. BACN is designed for use in a variety of unmanned and manned aircraft. It extends communications ranges, bridges between radio frequencies and "translates" among incompatible communications systems to enable information sharing and enhanced situational awareness, Northrop Grumman said.
Avidyne Forms Entegra Flight Deck Partnership
Avidyne Corp., based in Lincoln, Mass., announced a partnership to deliver late-model Cirrus SR22 aircraft retrofitted with its Entegra Release 9 Integrated Flight Deck System. The partnership with Eagle Creek Aviation Services, of Indianapolis, Leading Edge Aviation Services of Tampa, Fla., and Lone Mountain Aviation of North Las Vegas, collectively named this new aircraft the G3-R9. Rob Higby, Avidyne vice president of sales, marketing and customer service, said, “Eagle Creek, Leading Edge and Lone Mountain are the initial participants for this program because they are key Cirrus aircraft sales and maintenance centers, they are strategically located geographically in the Central, Eastern and Western U.S.” Entegra Release 9 is currently certified as a retrofit upgrade for existing Entegra-equipped Cirrus SR20 and SR22 aircraft. Avidyne said orders for Entegra Release 9 are currently being accepted for mid-August deliveries, and can be installed in domestically owned Cirrus aircraft and also for N-registered Cirrus aircraft in international markets.
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July 2009
