Chabelley Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
| Location | Chabelley,Djibouti | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 348 ft / 106 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 11°31′N43°04′E / 11.517°N 43.067°E /11.517; 43.067 | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  HDCH Location of airport in Djibouti | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Chabelley Airport (ICAO:HDCH), also known as theChabelley Airfield, is a military airstrip inChabelley, located some 6 miles to the southwest ofDjibouti City, the capital ofDjibouti.[1]
The airport has a singleasphalt runway 10/28 that is 8,530 x 95 feet (2,600 x 29 m) long. It featuresdisplaced thresholds and runway turnarounds at either end in place of a parallel taxiway. Two small concreteaprons 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]
Although it is operated and used by the French military,[4] it began serving as a temporary base forU.S. militaryunmanned 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 AmericanCamp Lemonnier Naval Expeditionary Base, which serves as a hub for counterterrorism operations inYemen andSomalia. 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] TheU.S. Air Force's 870th Air Expeditionary Squadron operatesPredator andReaper drones from the airfield.[7][4]
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