Chabelley Airport

Chabelley Airport (ICAO: HDCH), also known as the Chabelley Airfield, is a military airstrip in Chabelley, located some 6 miles to the southwest of Djibouti City, the capital of Djibouti.[1]

Chabelley Airport
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
LocationChabelley, Djibouti
Elevation AMSL348 ft / 106 m
Coordinates11°31′N 43°04′E
Map
HDCH is located in Djibouti
HDCH
HDCH
Location of airport in Djibouti
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
10/28 8,530 2,600 Asphalt

Facilities

The airport has a single asphalt runway 10/28 that is 8,530 x 95 feet (2,600 x 29 m) long. It features displaced thresholds and runway turnarounds at either end in place of a parallel taxiway. Two small concrete aprons have been constructed to provide parking and maintenance facilities, some of the several additions made by the US military since 2013. Other additions include a perimeter fence, guard towers, and vehicle access gates.[2][3]

Military

Although it is operated and used by the French military,[4] it began serving as a temporary base for U.S. military unmanned aircraft in September 2013.[5][6] The move came after the Djiboutian government expressed concern over a number of recent drone mishaps and accidents at the American Camp Lemonnier Naval Expeditionary Base, which serves as a hub for counterterrorism operations in Yemen and Somalia. The Djiboutian authorities consequently asked U.S. officials to relocate the drones to the rarely used Chabelley Airfield.[5] Previously, Chabelley airstrip had been exclusively reserved in case of need for the French military.[6] The U.S. Air Force's 870th Air Expeditionary Squadron operates Predator and Reaper drones from the airfield.[7][4]

References
  1. Airport information for HDCH at Great Circle Mapper.
  2. Turse, Nick (October 21, 2015). "The Stealth Expansion of a Secret U.S. Drone Base in Africa".
  3. "Contracts for September 29, 2015". U.S. Department of Defense.
  4. Trevithick, Joseph (5 January 2016). "This small airstrip is the future of America's way of war". Reuters. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  5. Whitlock, Craig; Miller, Greg (24 September 2013). "U.S. moves drone fleet from Camp Lemonnier to ease Djibouti's safety concerns". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  6. "La Corne de l'Afrique, enjeu stratégique majeur". Assajog (in French). 17 November 2013. Archived from the original on 20 November 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  7. Turse, Nick. "Target Africa: America's expanding drone network". The Intercept. Retrieved 2021-10-13.


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