NORAD Holds Drills in Nunavut

On 10 December 2020, NORAD conducted All-domain Awareness drills near the capital of Canada's Nunavut Territory,Iqaluit.According to Canadian NORAD Region (CANR) Deputy Commander BG Vaughn: While we strive to balance interests of all stakeholders, global competitors seek military expansion in the Arctic.* The exercise was intended to sharpen Arctic operational skillsets.In the course of the drills, which were flown out of Iqaluit Airport,an RCAF Airbus CC-150T Polaris multirole aircraft refueled a Boeing CF-18 Hornet multirole fighter,and CF-18s patrolled the massive expanse of the snowy Territory and contiguous maritime domain.A Canadian Armed Forces press release explained that: NORAD routinely conducts exercises with a variety of scenarios, including airspace restriction violations, hijackings and responses to unknown aircraft.* 1 Canadian Air Division (1 Cdn Air Div) provides NORAD with air defence forces for Operation Noble Eagle, the North American internal air defence operation begun following the 9-11 attacks.Its combat-ready CF-18s are on continuous alert.* The drills occurred over sparsely populated Arctic areas at high altitude.Air crews remained with their aircraft prior to refureling at the airport,and appropriate COVID-19 precautions were observed.They departed from the airport at the conclusion of the exercise.* On 16 June 2020, the US State Department greenlighted Canada's purchase of an upgrade package for 36 CF-18s to bridge the legacy fleet of 77 CF-18s and the future fighter.In 2021, Canada will choose from among the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter;F/A-18 Super Hornet; and Saab Gripen E.* The upgrade will enhance the sensors, weapons, survivability, security and mission support for the CF-18 to maintain parity with evolving threats, with initial delivery in 2023, Canadian Forces said.It will be a two-squadron bridge that continues meeting NORAD and NATO requirements while the future fighter is phased in. The purchase includes 50 Sidewinder AIM-9X Block II tactical missiles;38 APG-79(V)4 electronically scanned array radars;38 APG-79(V)4 AESA radar AI kits; and 46 F/A-18A wide-band RADOMEs.Firms involved are Raytheon Technologies; General Dynamics; Collins Aerospace (Raytheon Technologies subsidiary); and Boeing.* Nunavut has a population of 35,944 (2016 census),85% of whom belong to the Inuit First People, formerly referred to as "Eskimos".* Raytheon Technologies (RTX), General Dynamics (GD), Boeing (BA)