Mentioned:MITRE Corporation$9.1B · Program/Policy
U.S. Northern Command and Canadian forces concluded a three-year experiment testing over-the-horizon radar to detect threats across the Arctic, supporting a $9.1 billion binational Homeland Defense OTHR program aimed at modernizing the Northern Warning System.
What's happening
- The September test event, concluding a three-year experiment series, successfully demonstrated skywave (beyond line of sight) detections of E-3 Sentry and KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft using a high-frequency transmitter paired with a newly developed low-cost receiver array.
- The broader Homeland Defense OTHR program, jointly funded by the U.S. at $6-7 billion and Canada at $3.1 billion, began in 2022 and aims to modernize the Northern Warning System with over-the-horizon radar capable of detecting hypersonic missiles.
- Initial Operating Capability is targeted for 2028-29, with Full Operational Capability by 2031, addressing surveillance gaps across Alaska and northern Canada where vast distances and limited infrastructure hamper detection.
Why it matters
- The program closes critical surveillance gaps in the Arctic, enabling detection at longer ranges than the existing AN/FPS-117 and AN/TPS-77 radars, which currently detect threats to 250 miles.
- Over-the-horizon radar capability directly addresses homeland defense vulnerability to hypersonic threats, which existing air defense systems cannot effectively counter.
- Joint U.S.-Canada funding and coordination accelerates modernization of shared early-warning infrastructure supporting NORAD operations across the North American Arctic.
Going deeper
- Researchers used the University of Alaska Fairbanks High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) facility and a receiver array in Cold Bay developed by MITRE to collect experimental data over the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea.
- The Air Force Research Laboratory and Defense Research and Development Canada participated alongside scientific organizations, integrating existing radar infrastructure with emerging technology to complement current surveillance capabilities.
Financial impact
- The program represents $9.1 billion in total obligated capital: $6-7 billion from the U.S. Department of Defense and $3.1 billion from the Canadian Department of National Defence, committed through the initial operating capability target of 2028-29.
- Revenue recognition will occur over the period of performance through 2031 (FOC) as system development, integration and deployment milestones are achieved by contractors executing the modernization work.
The fine print
- Initial Operating Capability is targeted for 2028-29 and Full Operational Capability for 2031; timing is subject to program execution and funding continuity.
- The $9.1 billion program total represents an estimate; the exact allocation between development, procurement and deployment phases is not disclosed.
Source: airandspaceforces.com · Oct 23, 2026 · Drafted with Claude, reviewed by Industrial Base Alpha.
