Mackar Inlet DEW Line Station

Military obsolescence and strategic realignment. The station was part of the DEW Line, which became technologically outdated with the advent of satellite surveillance and Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), shifting the primary threat away from manned bombers. With the end of the Cold War, the DEW Line was replaced by the more automated NWS. The Mackar Inlet station (designated CAM-3) was not selected for upgrade into an NWS Long-Range Radar site and was therefore decommissioned.

The site is abandoned and has undergone extensive environmental remediation. Like many former DEW Line stations, Mackar Inlet was left with significant environmental contaminants, including PCBs, hydrocarbons from fuel spills, and hazardous building materials. The Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) managed a multi-year, multi-million dollar clean-up project to address this legacy. The project involved the demolition of all buildings, removal of hazardous waste, treatment of contaminated soil, and capping of landfills. The airstrip is unmaintained, deteriorated, and unusable for any official aviation purposes. The site is now being monitored to ensure the long-term stability of the remediation efforts and its return to a natural state.

Mackar Inlet was a Main Station (CAM-3) on the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line, a critical Cold War defense system constructed between 1955-1957 across the Arctic. Its primary mission was to detect incoming Soviet bombers and provide hours of advance warning for North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). As a Main Station, it was larger than auxiliary sites and served as a logistical and communications hub for its sector. The 5,000-foot gravel airstrip was its lifeline, essential for construction and year-round operations. It handled frequent flights by military transport aircraft (such as the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II and later the Lockheed C-130 Hercules) delivering personnel, food, fuel, and equipment to the isolated outpost.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the airstrip. The original military purpose is obsolete, and there is no civilian population, economic driver (such as mining or tourism), or strategic requirement in the immediate vicinity that would justify the immense cost of rebuilding, certifying, and maintaining an airport in such a remote and harsh Arctic environment.