Profile
- Type
- Airborne communications relay and gateway aircraft
- Conflict side
- United States
- Origin
- United States / Canada
- Service note
- 2008-present
Aircraft & UAVs
E-11A airborne communications relay aircraft
The E-11A is a U.S. Air Force Battlefield Airborne Communications Node aircraft built from a Bombardier business jet to relay and translate tactical data, voice, and imagery for distributed air, ground, and maritime forces. In the United States-Iran Conflict, CENTCOM listed E-11A communications aircraft among the assets used in Operation Epic Fury, showing the type's role as a high-flying command-and-control gateway rather than a strike platform.
- Conflict side
- United States
- Built by
- BombardierNorthrop Grumman
- Built in
- CanadaUnited States
Service History
- Used by
- U.S. Air Force
- Wars
- United States-Iran Conflict
Production History
- Built by
- BombardierNorthrop Grumman
- Built in
- CanadaUnited States
Specifications
- Platform
- Modified Bombardier BD700 / Global 6000 business jet
- Mission
- High-altitude airborne communications relay and gateway
- Functions
- Translates and distributes imagery, voice, and tactical data across disparate systems
- Employment
- Supports joint and coalition forces across air, ground, and maritime domains
Conflict Usage
- United States-Iran Conflict
- Side: United StatesRole: Airborne communications relay and command-and-control gateway
CENTCOM said E-11A communications aircraft were used by U.S. forces in Operation Epic Fury during the United States-Iran Conflict.
E-11A airborne communications relay aircraft Images
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ACC BACN Fact SheetPublisher: Air Combat Command | Note: Supports E-11A BACN mission and general system specifications for the airborne communications relay node. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Northrop Grumman BACNPublisher: Northrop Grumman | Note: Supports manufacturer and background context for the E-11A modified Bombardier BD700 communications gateway. | Accessed: 2026-06-20CENTCOM Epic Fury Fact SheetPublisher: U.S. Central Command | Note: Supports United States-Iran Conflict direct use: E-11A communications aircraft used by CENTCOM in Operation Epic Fury against Iran. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Wikimedia Commons: BACN at Kandahar International Airport in 2019Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Public-domain image provenance for the E-11A BACN aircraft at Kandahar Airfield. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Wikimedia Commons: E-11A at Hanscom Air Force Base, June 2021Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Public-domain image provenance for the E-11A BACN aircraft at Hanscom Air Force Base. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Wikimedia Commons: Bombardier E-11A 11-9001 at Dubai Airshow 2021Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: CC BY-SA image provenance for a Bombardier E-11A at Dubai Airshow 2021. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Wikimedia Commons: E-11A Memorial Flight in CENTCOM AORPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Public-domain image provenance for an E-11A memorial flight in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. | Accessed: 2026-06-20