Chabelley Airport | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||
| 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 | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  HDCH Location of airport in Djibouti | |||||||||||
 | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
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]
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]
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]
The Djibouti Armed Forces are the military forces of Djibouti. They consist of the Djiboutian National Army and its sub-branches the Djiboutian Air Force and Djiboutian Navy. As of 2018, the Djibouti Armed Forces consists of 20,470 ground troops, which are divided into several regiments and battalions garrisoned in various areas throughout the country. The Djibouti Armed Forces are an important player in the Bab-el-Mandeb and Red Sea.
Camp Lemonnier is a United States Naval Expeditionary Base, situated next to Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport in Djibouti City, and home to the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) of the U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM). It is the only permanent U.S. military base in Africa. The camp is operated by U.S. Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia; CJTF-HOA is the most notable tenant command located at the facility as of 2008.
Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport is a joint civilian/military-use airport situated in the town of Ambouli, Djibouti. It serves the national capital, Djibouti. The airport is located approximately 6 kilometres from the city centre. It occupies an area of 10 square kilometers.
Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) is a United States Navy base in Ventura County, California. Formed by the merger of NAS Point Mugu and CBC Port Hueneme, NBVC is a diverse installation composed of three main locations — Point Mugu, Port Hueneme, and San Nicolas Island. The base serves as an all-in-one mobilization site, deep water port, railhead, and airfield. NBVC supports more than 100 tenant commands with a base population of more than 19,000 personnel, making it the largest employer in Ventura County.
Ahmad Shah Baba International Airport, also referred to as Kandahar International Airport, and by some military officials as Kandahar Airfield, KAF), is located in the Daman District of Kandahar Province in Afghanistan, about 9 NM southeast from the city of Kandahar. It serves as the nation's second main international airport and as one of the largest main operating bases, capable of housing up to 250 aircraft of different sizes. The current head of the airport is Maulvi Fathullah Mansour.
The United States Africa Command is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense, headquartered at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany. It is responsible for U.S. military operations, including fighting regional conflicts and maintaining military relations with 53 African nations. Its area of responsibility covers all of Africa except Egypt, which is within the area of responsibility of the United States Central Command. U.S. AFRICOM headquarters operating budget was $276 million in fiscal year 2012.
A forward operating site (FOS) or forward operating location (FOL) is a U.S. military term for facilities, defined as "a scalable, 'warm' facility that can support sustained operations, but with only a small permanent presence of support or contractor personnel as opposed to a FOB or MOB. A FOS will host occasional rotational forces and many contain pre-positioned equipment." These sites were established as the Pentagon began to address regional threats primarily in Africa and Latin America following its 2004 global posture review.
The 449th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the Third Air Force supporting United States Africa Command. It is stationed at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti. It flies missions for Africa Command and Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa, supporting varied U.S. objectives in the area.
The 409th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to United States Air Forces Europe (USAFE), which may activate or inactivate the group as needed at any time.
Djibouti – United States relations are bilateral relations between Djibouti and the United States.
The 60th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron is a provisional United States Air Force unit, assigned to Air Combat Command to activate or inactivate as needed. Its last known activation was as an unmanned aerial vehicle unit, inactivated on 7 October 2015 at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti.
Chabelley, is a village in the southern Arta region of Djibouti. It lies less than 13 km from the capital Djibouti City.
The United States drone base in Seychelles is a military base operated by the United States and located at the Seychelles International Airport in Mahé island, Seychelles. The aerial fleet is made up of General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drones. The drones have been hosted in Seychelles since 2009 and they are located in a hangar about a quarter of a mile from the main terminal of the airport.
The Japan Self-Defense Force Base Djibouti is a military base operated by the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) located in Ambouli, Djibouti alongside the Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport.
The People's Liberation Army Support Base in Djibouti is a military base operated by China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), located in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa. It is the PLAN's first overseas military base and was built at a cost of US$590 million. The facility is expected to significantly increase China's power projection in the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean, as well as the PLAN's blue water capabilities.
Niger Air Base 201 is a Nigerien airbase near Agadez, Niger.
The United States Air Force's 435th Air Expeditionary Wing is an inactive air expeditionary unit assigned to the Third Air Force, last stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. As of 2022, the wing had forward deployed units in six locations in West and East Africa. Its command staff is also exercised command of the 435th Air Ground Operations Wing.
The 82nd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron is a provisional unit of the United States Air Force (USAF), assigned to the 449th Air Expeditionary Group. It has been stationed at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti since at least 2007. The squadron is made up of pararescue personnel, mainly to conducting search and rescue, serving as US Air Forces Africa's personnel recovery liaison to United States Africa Command's Warfighter Recovery Network. Having previously used Lockheed HC-130 aircraft of another air force unit, the 81st Expeditionary Rescue Squadron, as of February 2022 the squadron was training jumps from United States Marine Corps Lockheed Martin KC-130J aircraft. The squadron does not operate any aircraft. As a deployed unit, the squadron's personnel come from other units of the United States Air Force, such as the 31st Rescue Squadron, members of which made up the 82nd ERQS in 2010.
  | This article about an airport in Djibouti is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
