ARCTEC Alaska Wins $596M Air Force Contract to Maintain Alaska Radar System

ARCTEC Alaska, the joint venture that includes ASRC Federal, the government services subsidiary of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, has secured a 10-year, $596 million U.S. Air Force contract to operate and maintain the Alaska Radar System, a Cold War-era network of 15 remote long-range radar sites and two radio sites spread across the state.

The contract, announced March 8, covers full-service facility operations and maintenance managed from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, the largest base in the Pacific Air Force. Work is set to commence in September 2026. ARCTEC Alaska is a joint venture between ASRC Federal Primus Solutions and ATCO Frontec, a Canadian infrastructure and facilities management company with approximately 21,000 employees and $27 billion in assets.

For the North Slope Borough, the award carries direct significance. Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, the Utqiagvik-based Alaska Native regional corporation representing more than 14,000 Iñupiaq shareholders, is the parent organization of ASRC Federal. The corporation's government services arm has now secured a generational contract that will sustain revenue and employment tied directly to the shareholder community through the mid-2030s.

ARCTEC Alaska has supported the Alaska Radar System continuously since 1994, and this contract extends that relationship. Jennifer Felix, president and CEO of ASRC Federal, described the stakes plainly: "The Alaska Radar System is critical to maintaining our sovereign air space and we are proud to be entrusted with supporting the safety and security of our Nation. This follow-on contract demonstrates our ability to consistently deliver critical mission services in complex environments."

Jim Landon, President of ATCO Frontec, pointed to the geographic demands that make the work distinctive. "Our expertise in some of the most remote and challenging environments is why the USAF has trusted in our abilities for decades," Landon said, "enabling them to maintain continuous surveillance of our skies and safe navigation for civil flights across North America."

The Alaska Radar System feeds continuous surveillance data to NORAD and U.S. Northern Command while also supplying civil aircraft tracking information to the Federal Aviation Administration. Under the new contract, ARCTEC Alaska will manage logistics, equipment, staffing and supply chains required to keep those radar sites operational in conditions that test even the most experienced contractors.

ASRC Federal currently delivers solutions and services to more than 30 federal agencies, with capabilities spanning IT modernization, engineering, critical infrastructure, base operations and supply chain management. The $596 million radar contract stands as one of the largest single awards in the corporation's history and reinforces the North Slope's enduring role in national defense infrastructure.