List of the United States drone bases

Last updated

This is a list of United States drone bases, containing military bases from which the United States operates unmanned aerial vehicles.

Contents

Active

CountryBase, locationOperation

dates

OperationsNotes
Burkina Faso Ouagadougou Airport [1] since 2007 [1] surveillance of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb over Mali, Mauritania and the Sahara [1]
Cameroon Garoua International Airport, Garoua [2] fight against Boko Haram in Nigeria [2]
Chad N’Djamena [3] since 2014 [4] fight against Boko Haram in Nigeria [4]
Djibouti Chabelley Airport [5] since 2013 [5]
Germany Ramstein Air Base
Kuwait Ali Al Salem Air Base [6] from at least 2014bombing ISIL in Iraq [6]
Philippines Zamboanga International Airport [7] since 2012 [8] bombing Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah in Southern Philippines [8]
Qatar Al Udeid Air Base [6] bombing ISIL in Iraq [6]
Saudi Arabia Umm Al Melh Border Guards Airport [9] since 2011 [9] bombing Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIL in Yemen [10] [11] secret CIA base [10]
Seychelles United States drone base in Seychelles,

Seychelles International Airport

since 2009surveillance of Al-Shabaab over Somalia
Somalia Kismayo Airport [12] surveillance of Al-Shabaab over Somalia [12] operated by the Joint Special Operations Command [12]
Tunisia Bizerte-Sidi Ahmed Air Base [13] since June 2016 [14] surveillance missions over Libya [14]
Turkey Incirlik Air Base, Adana [15] bombing ISIL and other groups in Syria [16]
United Arab Emirates Al Dhafra Air Base [6] bombing ISIL in Iraq [6]

Former

CountryBase, locationOperation

dates

OperationsNotes
Afghanistan Kandahar International Airport until 2022
Afghanistan Forward Operating Base Chapman, Khost [17] until 2022CIA facility [17]
Afghanistan Jalalabad Airport [17] until 2022CIA-operated drones [17]
Afghanistan Bagram Airfield [17] until 2022CIA-operated drones [17]
Djibouti Camp Lemonnier [18] 2010 [18] -2013 [5] bombing Al-Shabaab in Somalia, and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIL in Yemen [18] operations moved to Chabelley over public safety concerns [5]
Ethiopia Arba Minch Airport [19] 2011-2016bombing Al Qaeda in East Africa [19]
Italy Naval Air Station Sigonella [20] 2016-2019 [20] bombing ISIL in Libya in defense of special forces fighting ISIL [20]
Mauritania Nouakchott [1] until 2008 [1] operations ended after the 2008 Mauritanian coup d'état [1]
Niger Nigerien Air Base 201, Agadez 2019-2024 [21] operations ended after the 2023 Nigerien coup d'état
Niger Mano Dayak International Airport, Agadez [22] 2014-2024 [22] operations ended after the 2023 Nigerien coup d'état
Niger Diori Hamani International Airport, Niamey 2013-2024 [22] operations ended after the 2023 Nigerien coup d'état
Pakistan Shamsi Airfield, Balochistan province [23] until 2011 [23] bombing Taliban and other Islamist militants in the tribal areas of Pakistan [23] CIA ordered to leave after killing of Pakistani soldiers [23]
Uzbekistan Karshi-Khanabad Air Base until 2005 [24] CIA facility evicted by the Uzbek government [24]

See also

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References

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  3. ↑ "Dealing With Boko Haram". The New York Times. 2014-05-30. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2016-04-19. Retrieved 2016-04-14.
  4. 1 2 Londoño, Ernesto (2014-05-21). "U.S. deploys 80 troops to Chad to help find kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls". The Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Whitlock, Craig; Miller, Greg (2013-09-24). "U.S. moves drone fleet from Camp Lemonnier to ease Djibouti's safety concerns". The Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2016-04-07. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
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  7. ↑ Welch, Micah Zenko, Emma (29 May 2012). "Where the Drones Are". Archived from the original on 2020-03-30. Retrieved 2020-04-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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  9. 1 2 "Is This the Secret U.S. Drone Base in Saudi Arabia?". WIRED. Archived from the original on 2014-03-29. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  10. 1 2 "CIA operating drone base in Saudi Arabia, US media reveal - BBC News". BBC News. 6 February 2013. Archived from the original on 2016-06-11. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  11. ↑ "In a first, U.S. launches deadly strikes on ISIS training camps in Yemen". The Washington Post. 2017-10-17. Archived from the original on 2020-10-13. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  12. 1 2 3 "Exclusive: U.S. Operates Drones From Secret Bases in Somalia". Foreign Policy. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-04-07. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  13. ↑ "Drone Bases Updates". October 1, 2018. Archived from the original on March 21, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  14. 1 2 "U.S. has secretly expanded its global network of drone bases to North Africa". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  15. ↑ "US Drone Crashes in Turkey". Defense News. 3 February 2016. Archived from the original on 2022-02-22. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  16. ↑ "U.S. begins armed drone flights out of Incirlik Air Base in Turkey". CBS News. 3 August 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-04-04. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The End of Drone War?". The American Conservative. 4 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2016-05-31. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  18. 1 2 3 Whitlock, Craig (2012-10-25). "Remote U.S. base at core of secret operations". The Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2016-04-07. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  19. 1 2 Whitlock, Craig (2011-10-27). "U.S. drone base in Ethiopia is operational". The Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2014-03-24. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  20. 1 2 3 Kirchgaessner, Stephanie (2016-02-22). "Italy to allow US drones to fly out of Sicily air base for attacks on Isis". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2016-04-10. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  21. ↑ Turse, Nick (27 February 2020). "Pentagon's Own Map of U.S. Bases in Africa Contradicts Its Claim of "Light" Footprint". The Intercept. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  22. 1 2 3 Whitlock, Craig (2014-08-31). "Pentagon set to open second drone base in Niger as it expands operations in Africa". The Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2016-04-07. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  23. 1 2 3 4 Masood, Salman (2011-12-11). "C.I.A. Leaves Pakistan Base Used for Drone Strikes". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2017-03-20. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  24. 1 2 "US seeks new bases for drones targeting al-Qaida in Pakistan". Stars and Stripes. Archived from the original on 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
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