Tununuk DEW Line Station

The station and its associated airstrip were closed due to military conversion and technological obsolescence. It was an intermediate station in the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line, which was officially deactivated and replaced by the more advanced and automated North Warning System (NWS) between 1985 and 1993. The NWS required fewer sites, rendering 'gap-filler' stations like Tununuk (designated BAR-D) redundant and leading to their decommissioning.

The site is abandoned and has been environmentally remediated. Following its decommissioning, the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) undertook the extensive 'DEW Line Clean-Up Project' to address environmental contamination. This involved the removal of hazardous materials (such as PCBs, lead, and fuel), the demolition of all buildings and radar equipment, and the restoration of the land. While the gravel airstrip may still be faintly visible from the air as a scar on the tundra, it is unmaintained, unusable, and considered closed. The site has no active infrastructure and has been returned to a passive, natural state.

Tununuk DEW Line Station, designated BAR-D, was a crucial 'gap-filler' radar station in the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line. Constructed during the height of the Cold War, the DEW Line was a massive joint US-Canadian project designed to provide early warning of a Soviet bomber attack over the North Pole. Tununuk's specific role was to use its AN/FPS-23 doppler radar to detect low-flying aircraft that might slip between the larger, main radar stations. The gravel airstrip was essential for the station's construction, logistical support (resupply via aircraft like the Douglas C-47), and personnel rotation. The station's operation represented a significant projection of military infrastructure and sovereignty into the high Arctic.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the Tununuk airstrip. The original military requirement for the site is obsolete, and there is no local population or economic driver to justify the significant cost of rebuilding and maintaining an airport in this remote Arctic location. Regional air transportation needs are met by other established airports, such as the one in nearby Tuktoyaktuk (CYUB).