ARCTEC receives contract for Air Force radar sites in Alaska

July 31 (UPI) -- ARCTEC Alaska JV has been awarded a $37.9 million contract modification for operations and maintenance services for the Alaska Radar System.

The modification invokes an option to extend services for another 12 months on the network of radars covering Alaskan airspace and the Arctic circle. Most of the work will be performed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in addition to 15 other sites across Alaska. The work is expected to be completed by Sept. 28, 2018.

The Alaskan radar network primarily falls under Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center, which manages remote installations across the Pacific -- including sites in Alaska accessible only by boat or plane.

Radar sites in Alaska form a key part of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System and the Missile Defense Agency

In addition to long-range radars for tracking conventional aircraft, the network includes systems like the Cobra Dane, located at Eareckson Air Station. The system is used for detecting, tracking, and evaluating foreign ballistic missile launches. Data collected by Cobra Dane is then integrated with NORAD and MDA for air and ballistic missile defense missions.

Many of the sites covering Alaska's sprawling airspace are located in extremely harsh terrain and weather conditions, including high winds and sub-zero temperatures for much of the year. Eareckson Air Base is located in Shemya, Ak., at the western tail of the Aleutian islands nearly a thousand miles from the mainland.