F-16s launch NORAD homeland defense mission from remote Eareckson Air Station

U.S. Air Force F-16s launched a homeland defense mission Oct. 25 from Eareckson Air Station, drawing in aircraft from two other Alaska bases and a Canadian base, according to NORAD. The command did not say what, if anything, prompted the mission.

The F-16s launched under Operation Noble Defender, which NORAD describes as a recurring air defense operation that can include forces from its Alaska, Canadian and continental U.S. regions. As the mission developed, it shifted to Operation Noble Eagle in support of northern sovereignty operations, NORAD said.

It grew into a binational force covering the Alaska theater of operations. Two F-16 Fighting Falcons flying from Eareckson covered the southern portion. F-35 Lightning IIs and additional F-16s from Eielson Air Force Base worked the northwest. Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornets from Cold Lake, Alberta, covered the northern approaches.

An E-3 Sentry, an airborne warning and control radar aircraft, came from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Multiple KC-135 Stratotankers and a Canadian CC-150 Polaris handled aerial refueling. An HC-130 Combat King II provided search and rescue and personnel recovery coverage.

Eareckson lies about 1,600 miles from Eielson and 2,600 miles from Cold Lake, distances NORAD said underscore the scale across which it synchronized the force.

The F-16s were deployed to Eareckson from Oct. 18 to 26 and held air defense alert there throughout, NORAD said. The deployment also included F-16 certification of the station's arresting system, which the command said further validates Eareckson, an austere airfield, "as a viable location for future fighter operations."

"Operating from Eareckson Air Station proved we can deploy to an austere location, maintain alert, launch on short notice, and seamlessly integrate U.S. and Canadian forces to defend the northern approaches," said Lt. Gen. Robert D. Davis, commander of the Alaskan NORAD Region.

Davis also leads Alaskan Command, which ran Operation Tundra Merlin with U.S. Northern Command near Nome on Aug. 4 and 6. Two F-35s, two F-16s and a KC-135 from Eielson trained alongside an Army HIMARS rocket system from Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The F-35s and the rocket system engaged a simulated target about 135 miles away, while the F-16s intercepted F-35s playing simulated inbound threats.