From: http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/focus/canada-us/bg00.010_e.asp
In particular, see the section on "North Warning System" detailing 11 long-range radars in Canada and 36 short-range radars in Canada along the northern edge of North America.
Partial excerpt:
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NORAD
Background
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) is a binational military organization formally established in 1958 by Canada and the United States to monitor and defend North American airspace. NORAD monitors and tracks man-made objects in space and detects, validates and warns of attack against North America by aircraft, missiles or space vehicles. NORAD also provides surveillance and control of the airspace of Canada and the United States.
The NORAD Agreement was first signed by the governments of Canada and the United States on May 12, 1958, and has been renewed for varying periods since that time. Although there have been eight NORAD renewals since 1958, the basic text of the Agreement has been revised substantially only three times -- in 1975, 1981 and 1996.
The Commander-in-Chief of NORAD is appointed by, and is responsible to, both the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of the United States. Headquarters NORAD is located at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado. NORAD command and control is exercised through the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center, located a short distance away. Cheyenne Mountain serves as a central collection and coordination facility for a worldwide system of sensors designed to provide NORAD with an accurate picture of any aerospace threat.
Operations
NORAD uses a network of ground-based radars, sensors and fighter jets to detect, intercept and, if necessary, engage any threats to the continent. These fighters consist of Canadian CF-18s and U.S. F-15s and F-16s. NORAD also receives surveillance data from the U.S. Space Command on potential threats from outer space.
Canadian NORAD Region
NORAD's surveillance and control responsibility for North American airspace is divided among three NORAD Regions -- one in Canada, one in the continental United States and one in Alaska. Data from radars and sensors based in Canada are compiled and analyzed at an underground complex located at Canadian Forces Base North Bay, Ontario, then forwarded to Canadian NORAD Region Headquarters at CFB Winnipeg, and the NORAD command and control centre in Colorado, as necessary.
North Warning System
The North Warning System (NWS) provides surveillance of potential attack routes via Arctic airspace. The NWS consists of 15 long-range radars (11 in Canada, four in Alaska) and 39 short-range radars (36 in Canada, three in Alaska) along the northern edge of North America.
The state-of-the-art radars form a 4,800-Km-long and 320 Km-wide "tripwire" stretching from Alaska to Newfoundland.
Bottom Line Up Front:
The primary means of detection today is SPACE BASED and it’s been that way for a long time.
(That said)
The “North Warning System” just like the DEW line is for more than just missile defense (It runs through AK also and is for finding things like Bear bombers). However, the systems that may be of interest to you that are specifically for missile defense are:
http://www.raytheon.com/newsroom/briefs/cr_upgrade.html
http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/nuclear_bunkers/bmews.html (Good pictures of the pyramids)
They are located as I stated earlier in Alaska, Greenland, and Great Britain. They are there for a reason. A MAJOR component is sea-based and completely overlooked.
Canada is not much involved with the construction of the subcomponents or technology in this system.
Canada is not a major financial contributor either.
The system is near done and partially on line today already.
Canada being against missile defense today is as if they declared that they disapprove of the B-2 Spirit or Seawolf sub. In “some” way it’s probably arguable that there too they are an important part of the equation in those systems (But that too is a joke). The Canadians having reservations today about missile defense and talking about something where they are a marginal player anyway is a farce.
Red6