"Hybrid SATCOM Terminal program will serve as a 'near-term bridge in capability,'" wrote Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach and Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman in testimony to the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.
Air Force moves to retire the E-11 BACN fleet
The Air Force plans to divest its E-11 Battlefield Airborne Communication Node (BACN) aircraft and seeks to retire the fleet in fiscal 2028, according to written testimony submitted jointly by Secretary Troy Meink, Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach and Gen. Chance Saltzman to the House Appropriations defense subcommittee. An Air Force spokesperson told Breaking Defense there are seven E-11s in the current fleet and confirmed the service intends to replace them with the emerging Department of the Air Force (DAF) Battle Network.
Budget documents show the FY27 Air Force budget zeros out funds for the E-11 program. The service has spent $296 million on the program since its inception in 2005, the budget documents state.
What the E-11 BACN is — and which planned upgrades will now shift
The BACN is a modified Bombardier Global business jet outfitted with communications equipment to act as a data-relay platform; Northrop Grumman integrates the aircraft’s communications systems that the Air Force has described as providing “Wi‑Fi in the sky.” Future planned modifications cited in the Air Force’s budget documentation included software to enable use of the Global Positioning System satellite’s jam‑resistant M‑code — a capability the documents called essential for operating in contested electromagnetic environments.
With the E-11 divestment plan, those planned upgrades are intended to be replaced by other programs and approaches documented in the FY27 request and the HAC testimony.
Hybrid SATCOM Terminal program and the Space Force prototype
The joint testimony identifies a “Hybrid SATCOM Terminal program” as a near-term bridge in capability while the DAF Battle Network emerges. The testimony and Air Force FY27 budget documents show plans to integrate SATCOM terminals on a range of aircraft, explicitly listing the KC-135 Stratotanker air refueler and the B-1 Lancer bomber among platforms targeted for integration.
The Space Force is pursuing a prototype effort to develop such terminals, according to its FY27 research, development, test and evaluation budget request. The Space Force documents say Hybrid SATCOM terminals will “enable assured communications through both commercial and military satellite constellations in multiple orbital regimes, while accessing multiple frequency bands to maintain resilient connectivity and security.” Experimental flight tests are planned on an unspecified “nine different aircraft types” through FY28. The Space Force requested $20.5 million for the project in FY27 and requested none in FY28.
E-7 Wedgetail and EC-138 Compass Call: procurement posture
The written testimony briefly addresses two other airborne programs. The E-7 Wedgetail, which the service considered shifting away from an air-based air moving target indication (AMTI) mission to satellites last year, was blocked by Congress. In accordance with congressional direction in the FY26 defense appropriations bill, the Air Force in March awarded two separate, sole‑source contracts to Boeing to continue development of the E-7 Wedgetail but did not specify how many aircraft were being funded or commit to eventual procurement. Secretary Meink told the HAC subcommittee that the Air Force has put five additional E-7 developmental aircraft on contract, in addition to two rapid prototypes.
On the EC-138 Compass Call electronic‑warfare aircraft, the Air Force’s FY27 budget documents show funding for only 12 aircraft; the written testimony cites a plan for the service to buy 22. An Air Force spokesperson confirmed to Breaking Defense that 22 is the currently planned fleet size but did not provide budgetary details.
What this means for the Space Force, Boeing, and aircrews
- Space Force acquisition and test teams: The Space Force prototype and the $20.5 million FY27 request make it the focal point for Hybrid SATCOM development and experimental flight tests on “nine different aircraft types” through FY28. Teams will be accountable for delivering terminal capability while the DAF Battle Network matures, even as FY28 funding shows no request for the program.
- Boeing and Northrop Grumman: Boeing has received two sole‑source contracts to continue E‑7 development and is now under new E‑7 production contracts that add five developmental aircraft to two rapid prototypes. Northrop Grumman remains the integrator for BACN communications suites on the E‑11, but with the announced divestment the company’s work on E‑11 platforms will be affected as the Air Force pivots to alternative terminal and network programs.
- Aircrews on KC‑135s, B‑1s and other test platforms: The Air Force’s plan to integrate Hybrid SATCOM terminals onto KC‑135 Stratotankers, B‑1 Lancers and other aircraft means crews will be central to experimental flight tests and early operational fielding as the service transitions from dedicated BACN aircraft to distributed SATCOM-equipped platforms.
The Air Force’s written testimony frames a clear transition: retire a small, specialized BACN fleet of seven E‑11s by FY2028 and substitute a mix of platform-integrated SATCOM terminals and an overarching DAF Battle Network. Yet the budget signals and program timelines leave a compact set of questions—chief among them, how near‑term terminal prototypes and the DAF Battle Network will be sequenced and funded through FY28 as experimental tests proceed. The answers will determine whether the loss of a dedicated airborne relay translates into a capability gap or a more distributed, resilient architecture.
Original reporting: Air Force seeks to scrap its E-11 BACN fleet — Breaking Defense
