DEW line

American  

[doo, dyoo] / du, dju /

noun

1. a 3,000-mile (4,800-km) long network of radar stations north of the Arctic Circle, maintained by the United States and Canada for providing advance warning of the approach of hostile planes, missiles, etc.

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DEW line British  

/ djuː /

acronym

1. distant early warning line, a network of radar stations situated mainly in Arctic regions to give early warning of aircraft or missile attack on North America

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Etymology

Origin of DEW line

First recorded in 1955–60; D(istant) E(arly) W(arning)

Example Sentences

The new airways-modernization plan envisions a network of aerial highways controlled by 100 huge radar scanners much like those at military DEW line stations.

From Time Magazine Archive

Canada and the U.S. made common cause in building the radar DEW line to prevent surprise attacks by Soviet planes coming from the North Pole.

From Time Magazine Archive

Canadian defense experts concede that the DEW line is outdated and that low-flying aircraft and cruise missiles can penetrate it with impunity.

From Time Magazine Archive

Because Alaska lay close to Russia, the Arctic shore soon sprouted heavily instrumented DEW line stations.

From Time Magazine Archive

On Thursday morning all broadcasts broke off to report that the DEW line of radars across Canada had reported objects in the air moving across the North Pole toward the United States.

From Long Ago, Far Away by Leinster, Murray