| Chabelley Airport | |
| Icao: | HDCH |
| Pushpin Map: | Djibouti |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of airport in Djibouti |
| Pushpin Label: | HDCH |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Type: | Military |
| Location: | Chabelley, Djibouti |
| Elevation-M: | 106 |
| R1-Number: | 10/28 |
| R1-Length-F: | 8530 |
| R1-Length-M: | 2600 |
| R1-Surface: | Asphalt |
Chabelley Airport, 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.
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.[1] [2]
Although it is operated and used by the French military,[3] it began serving as a temporary base for U.S. military unmanned aircraft in September 2013. 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.[4] Previously, Chabelley airstrip had been exclusively reserved in case of need for the French military.[5] The U.S. Air Force's 870th Air Expeditionary Squadron operates Predator and Reaper drones from the airfield.[6]