The Distant Early Warning Line

What Was the DEW Line?

The Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line was a chain of radar and communications stations across the northern approaches to North America. Its mission was aircraft warning: to detect a possible bomber attack early enough for air-defense forces to alert, disperse and prepare. The original line joined Alaska and Canada; extensions reached the Aleutians and farther into the North Atlantic. It was a military network, not one base or one model of radar. ^{[1] [2]}

For the story behind the station directory, read the complete DEW Line history, from the 1952 planning study and Arctic construction to daily operations, later extensions and the North Warning System.

A 1952 study at MIT Lincoln Laboratory proposed surveillance radars and communications across the Arctic. Western Electric built and operated much of the early network under Air Force direction, while American and Canadian forces supplied essential transport and support. The original line was declared operational on July 31, 1957. Its distant sites depended on aircraft, sealift, fuel stores, power plants and technicians as surely as they depended on radar transmitters. ^{[1] [2]}

How It Worked

Main and auxiliary radar stations watched sectors of the sky. An aircraft return had to be assessed by people and sent onward through communications links to the air-defense command organization. Between some main radar sites, AN/FPS-23 gap-filler equipment provided additional low-altitude warning. The radar line could warn of aircraft, but it was not a ballistic-missile warning system. ^{[1] [2]}

The AN/FPS-19 was the characteristic long-range search radar at many DEW stations. Its two back-to-back reflectors were mounted on one rotating pedestal, often under a rigid radome to withstand Arctic weather. The reflectors were radar antennas. By contrast, White Alice billboards and other radio equipment carried reports and voice traffic; they did not search for aircraft. Some Alaska installations brought those functions together on or near the same property. ^{[1] [3] [4]}

Featured Alaska Histories

Start with these Alaska stations, then browse the complete directory below. The six COB stations formed the Aleutian extension identified in the Corps inventory. ^[4]

DEW Line Station Directory

The fixed land stations below are arranged by their historical sectors and later extensions. Main and auxiliary sites used rotating search radar; intermediate sites filled gaps between them. Station codes identify places on the DEW network, not separate radar models. The original Arctic line, Aleutian chain and eastern extension opened at different times. ^{[8] [9]}

Original Arctic Line: Alaska

The Alaska sector names and station roles are recorded in the DEW Line inventories. Cape Lisburne also has its own Aircraft Control and Warning history. ^{[4] [8]}

Original Arctic Line: Canada

The Canadian portion includes main, auxiliary and intermediate sites across the Yukon, Northwest Territories and present-day Nunavut. Some historical station names differ from current place names. ^[8]

Aleutian and Alaska Peninsula Extension

These six stations became operational as an extension in 1959, after the original Arctic line. ^[4]

Greenland and Iceland Extension

The four Greenland stations completed the eastern extension; DYE-5 carried the link onward to Iceland. ^[9]

Early Alaska Experimental Sites

Before the final station pattern was established, the experimental stretch near Barter Island included Collinson Point at Simpson Cove and Aschoff Cape. The 1955 station list names both locations, and Alaska's site records identify Collinson Point as a former intermediate DEW station. ^{[8] [10]}

Beyond Alaska

The DEW Line crossed northern Canada and reached Greenland, with later expansion farther into the North Atlantic. Stations on allied territory were integral to a warning mission shared by the United States and Canada. The 1987 map shows that geographic scale, while the directory identifies stations by their own sector codes. ^{[1] [2] [5]}

Radar and Communications

The Next Warning System

The Aleutian extension closed in 1969, but the northern DEW network continued. New radar technology and changed operations eventually led to the North Warning System, constructed in the later 1980s and early 1990s. The successor network uses long- and short-range radar stations for surveillance of the northern approaches. An AN/FPS-117 equipment history traces one of its long-range radar types. The DEW network's replacement by 1993 does not mean that every older radar or installation ended on the same day. ^{[2] [7]}

Chronology

• 1952: The MIT summer study recommends an Arctic surveillance and communications line. ^[1]
• 1953-1954: Experimental work at Barter Island and Alaska prototype radar testing help establish the system. ^{[2] [4]}
• July 1957: The original DEW Line is declared operational. ^[2]
• April 1959: The six-station Aleutian extension becomes operational. ^[4]
• June 1969: The Aleutian extension closes; the northern DEW network continues. ^[4]
• 1986-1992: The North Warning System is constructed as the successor northern surveillance network. ^[7]
• By 1993: The North Warning System replaces the DEW Line as a network. ^[2]