Alaska NORAD to track Santa

Every Christmas holiday, the men and women of the United States Air Force’s North American Aerospace Defense Command turn their satellite dishes northward to track a very special target.

The Alaskan region of NORAD at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson tracks that bogey, otherwise known as Santa Claus, every year on the evening of Dec. 24.

USAF Master Sergeant Mikal Canfield said the process of tracking Santa begins in Alaska and is spread across the world as the evening moves on.

“It all starts with NORAD’s northern warning system,” Canfield said. “This powerful system has 47 tracking stations installed across Canada and Alaska. The moment Santa lifts off, we use satellites that would normally track incoming missiles from across the Arctic Circle or North Pole.”

According to Canfield, the USAF has been tracking Santa for over half a century and has intercepted Kris Kringle on a number of occasions.

“NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command, began tracking Santa in 1955,” Canfield said. “NORAD replaced CONAD in 1958 and took over the mission of tracking Santa’s flight around the world every year. Over that time, our fighters have intercepted Santa many, many times. When the jets intercept Santa, they tip their wings to say, ‘Hello Santa! – NORAD is tracking you again this year!’”

And Canfield added that Santa is always glad to see the USAF pilots.

“Santa always waves. He loves to see the pilots!” Canfield added.

According to NORAD’s website, Santa’s sleigh is confirmed to be a versatile, all weather, multi-purpose, vertical short-take-off and landing vehicle. It is capable of traveling vast distances without refueling and is deployed only on Dec. 24 each year.