Airport type Military Elevation AMSL ft / 106 m 8,530 2,600 Code CBA | Location Chabelley, Djibouti 10/28 8,530 2,600 Asphalt | |
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Chabelley Airport (ICAO: HDCH), also known as the Chabelley Airfield, is an isolated airstrip in Chabelley, located some 6 miles to the southwest of Djibouti City, the capital of Djibouti.
Military
Although it is operated and used by the French military, in September 2013, it began serving as a temporary base for U.S. military unmanned aircraft. 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. Hitherto, the Chabelley airstrip had been exclusively reserved in case of need for French military devices. The U.S. Air Force’s 870th Air Expeditionary Squadron operates from the airfield.