Ross Point DEW Line Station

Ross Point, CA 🇨🇦 Closed Airport

ICAO

CA-0317

IATA

-

Elevation

- ft

Region

CA-NU

Local Time

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Airport Information

GPS Code: Not available

Local Code: Not available

Location: 68.599158° N, -111.125505° E

Continent: NA

Type: Closed Airport

Terminal Information Not Available
Terminal arrivals and departures are only available for airports with scheduled commercial service and IATA codes.

External Links

Nearby Points of Interest

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Airport Information

Airport Closure Information

Last updated: Jul 24, 2025
Closure Date

Approximately 1989-1993

Reason for Closure

The closure was a direct result of military and technological evolution at the end of the Cold War. The Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line, with its 1950s-era technology, became obsolete. It was designed to detect Soviet bombers, but the primary threat had shifted to Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) and cruise missiles. The DEW Line was replaced by the more advanced and largely automated North Warning System (NWS). Ross Point (CAM-3) was an Intermediate Station and was not selected for an upgrade to a new NWS Long-Range Radar site. Consequently, it was decommissioned along with most other DEW Line stations.

Current Status

The site is abandoned and has undergone extensive environmental remediation. Following its closure, the station, like other DEW Line sites, was found to be heavily contaminated with hazardous materials such as PCBs, lead, asbestos, and petroleum products. The Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) undertook a massive, multi-year project called the 'DEW Line Clean-Up' to remediate these sites. The buildings at Ross Point have been demolished, hazardous waste has been removed, and the land has been restored to the extent possible. Satellite imagery shows the clear outline of the former gravel airstrip and building foundations, but the site is now an uninhabited and unmaintained relic on the tundra.

Historical Significance

Ross Point DEW Line Station, also known by its military designator CAM-3, was a critical component of the Cold War's continental air defense system. As an Intermediate Station in the Cambridge Bay sector of the DEW Line, its primary purpose was to fill the radar coverage gap between the larger Main Stations. It used a specific type of Doppler radar (AN/FPS-23) to detect low-flying aircraft that might evade the main search radars. The station was part of a massive joint US-Canadian effort under NORAD to provide early warning of a potential Soviet air attack over the Arctic. The gravel airstrip, identified by the unofficial ICAO code CA-0317, was vital for its existence. It handled logistical flights, primarily by ski-equipped or tundra tire-equipped aircraft like the Douglas C-47/DC-3, C-123 Provider, or de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, which brought in personnel, fuel, food, and equipment to this extremely remote location.

Reopening Prospects

There are no known plans or logical prospects for reopening the airport. The original military purpose for the site is obsolete. Its extreme remoteness, lack of any nearby population or economic activity (such as mining), and the immense cost of maintaining an airstrip and facilities in the high Arctic make any civilian or commercial reactivation economically unfeasible. The airstrip is unmaintained and would require a complete reconstruction to be considered safe for any regular aviation use.

Nearby Airports

Byron Bay DEW Line Station
CA-0070
Byron Bay, CA
Closed Airport
~85 km away
Lady Franklin Point DEW Line Station
CA-0201
Lady Franklin Point, CA
Closed Airport
~87 km away
Distances are approximate and calculated as straight-line distances.

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