An ATCO joint-venture has secured a 10-year contract valued at approximately US$596 million to operate and maintain 15 U.S. Air Force radar sites and related facilities across Alaska.

The contract was awarded to ARCTEC Alaska, a JV between ATCO Frontec and ASRC Federal, to provide operations and maintenance services for the Alaska Radar System. The agreement with the United States Air Force begins in September 2026.

Under the deal, ARCTEC will operate and maintain 15 long-range radar sites across Alaska, along with two radio sites and facilities at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, which serves as headquarters for the Alaska Radar System. Responsibilities include operational support, site services, facility maintenance and logistics.

“As a global support and facilities management company, we are uniquely positioned to support the U.S. Air Force in Alaska,” said Jim Landon, president of ATCO Frontec. “Our expertise in some of the most remote and challenging environments is why the USAF has trusted in our abilities for decades, enabling them to maintain continuous surveillance of our skies and safe navigation for civil flights across North America.”

“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,” said Jennifer Felix, president and CEO of ASRC Federal. “This follow-on contract demonstrates our ability to consistently deliver critical mission services in complex environments.”

ATCO Frontec has provided continuous support to the U.S. Air Force in Alaska since 1994. The company also delivers similar in-service support to defence and research organizations in remote regions worldwide. Its Nasittuq partnership operates and maintains the North Warning System, a chain of radar sites across Canada’s Arctic that provides aerospace surveillance for NORAD.

ATCO Frontec USA has also provided workforce-lodging services for 1,300 construction workers at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in Ridgecrest, Calif., between 2020 and 2025, and operated the 1,500-person Tuscan Ridge Lodge in support of the Paradise, Calif., wildfire clean-up in 2018.

ASRC Federal delivers solutions and services to more than 30 U.S. government agencies, supporting missions ranging from space exploration and cyber defence to military base operations and public health. The company is a family of Alaska Native-owned businesses serving more than 14,000 Iñupiaq shareholders from Alaska’s North Slope.

Calgary-based ATCO is a global enterprise with approximately 21,000 employees and $28 billion in assets. The company operates across energy, housing, security, transportation and infrastructure sectors, providing modular structures, operational support services, energy transmission and distribution, sustainable energy solutions and retail energy services worldwide.

Pictured: Depiction of former CWB building in Edmonton rebranded with the ATCO banner.

Image: ATCO