Oliktok Long Range Radar Site, DEW station POW-2 or NWS station A-19, is a United States Air Force radar site located east-southeast of

Point Barrow, Alaska Point Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska, northeast of Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow). It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States, at , south of the North Pole. (The northe ...

. The associated military airstrip is known as and is not open for public use.

History

The site built in 1957 to support the

Distant Early Warning Line The Distant Early Warning Line, also known as the DEW Line or Early Warning Line, was a system of radar stations in the northern Arctic region of Canada, with additional stations along the north coast and Aleutian Islands of Alaska (see Proj ...

radar station at Point Barrow (POW-MAIN), which logistically supported it. It was named POW-2 during this period. It was operated by civilian contract workers. DEW Line operations ceased in April 1995, and the personnel were relieved from their duties. The radar station was upgraded with new radars and in 1990 was re-designated part of the

North Warning System The North Warning System (NWS) is a joint United States and Canadian early-warning radar system for the atmospheric air defense of North America. It provides surveillance of airspace from potential incursions or attacks from across North America' ...

(NWS) as a Long Range Radar Site, A-19, equipped with a minimally attended AN/FPS-117 long-range surveillance radar. In 1998

Pacific Air Forces Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (fo ...

initiated "Operation Clean Sweep", in which abandoned Cold War stations in Alaska were remediated and the land restored to its previous state. The site remediation of the radar and support station was carried out by the 611th Civil Engineering Squadron at

Elmendorf AFB Elmendorf Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) facility in Anchorage, Alaska. Originally known as Elmendorf Field, it became Elmendorf Air Force Base after World War II. It is the home of the Headquarters, Alaskan Air Command (AL ...

, and remediation work was completed by 2005. The site remains active and is staffed by civilian contractors for periodic maintenance, and accessed by road from

Deadhorse Deadhorse is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community located within the Census-designated place, CDP of Prudhoe Bay in North Slope Borough, Alaska, North Slope Borough, Alaska, United States, along the Alaska North Slope, North Slope nea ...

. The airstrip is closed.

References

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Oliktok Long Range Radar Site
Installations of the United States Air Force in Alaska Radar stations of the United States Air Force Airports in North Slope Borough, Alaska Military installations in Alaska 1957 establishments in Alaska Military installations established in 1957

History

See also

References