US F-16s Return to Air Defense Alert at Remote Alaskan Outpost in NORAD Homeland Defense Operation
Alaska — North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) announced on October 30 that U.S. Air Force F-16 fighters were deployed to Eareckson Air Station on Shemya Island, at the western tip of Alaska's Aleutian Islands, from October 18 to 26, maintaining an air defense alert posture under Operation Noble Defender. It was the first time in years that fighter jets had stood air defense alert at the remote station.
On October 25, the operation transitioned to a homeland defense mission, Operation Noble Eagle, bringing together two F-16s flying from Eareckson, F-35 stealth fighters and additional F-16s from Eielson Air Force Base, Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornets from Cold Lake, Alberta, an E-3 Sentry airborne warning aircraft and multiple KC-135 and CC-150 tankers. NORAD noted that Eareckson lies about 1,600 miles from Eielson and 2,600 miles from Cold Lake, highlighting the scale across which the binational command synchronized its forces.
"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 Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert D. Davis, commander of the Alaskan NORAD Region. During the deployment, the station's aircraft arresting system was successfully certified, and NORAD said the deployment further validated Eareckson as a viable location for future fighter operations from an austere airfield.
Shemya Island, less than six square miles, sits closer to Russian territory than to the Alaskan mainland. Eareckson Air Station hosts a long runway and the COBRA DANE radar, an early-warning and tracking installation within the U.S. missile warning network. Fighters operated from the station during the Cold War, a mission that ended in the early 1990s.
Source: NORAD
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：10月18日，「高贵捍卫者」行动中，一架美国空军KC-135加油机为飞往厄雷克森空军站的F-16编队空中加油。美国空军Capt. Joseph Harazim摄，公共领域，经DVIDS。 / Photo: A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refuels an F-16 Fighting Falcon en route to Eareckson Air Station during Operation Noble Defender, October 18, 2026. U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Joseph Harazim, public domain, via DVIDS.
