Niger Air Base 201
Niger Air Base 201 | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
| Owner | Military of Niger | ||||||||||
| Location | Agadez, Niger | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,657 ft / 505 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 16°57′01″N 8°00′50″E / 16.95028°N 8.01389°E | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  AJY Location within Niger | |||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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Niger Air Base 201 (also known in some sources as "Nigerien Air Base 201") is an under-construction United States drone airbase located in Agadez, Niger.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
The base is located around 5 km southeast of Agadez. It is owned by the Nigerien military but built and paid for by the United States. When completed, it will be operated by the U.S. military as a drone base. As of February 2018, the site consists of a runway, still under construction, a hangar, and numerous smaller buildings for soldiers to work and live in.[7]
Operations
The U.S. military presence at Base 201 began on April 19, 2016.[8] Once complete, the runway will be big enough to accommodate both MQ-9 Reaper armed drones as well as the much larger C-17 transport airplanes.[7] Construction was scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018.[9] However, delays have pushed the completion estimate to mid-2019.[10] Runway construction is being undertaken by the 31st Expeditionary Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers.[11] As of November 2018, no ISR aircraft are presently operating out of the base.[12]
As of July 2019, the 409th Air Expeditionary Group and the 411th Civil Affairs Battalion are stationed at the base.[13]
Construction
The amount of US$50 million was approved by Congress for the base, but the cost may end up exceeding $100 million.[14][15] The base was originally planned to be operational by the end of 2018, but delays have caused the completion date of the base to be pushed to mid-2019.[12] The Air Base was described by U.S. officials as the largest construction project led by the United States Air Force.[12]
See also
References
- ^ "Could this drone base in Niger increase U.S. military operations in Africa?". 30 September 2016.
- ^ Niger, Arwa Damon, Brent Swails and Brice Laine, CNN, in Agadez. "This city is a tinderbox, and the US is building a drone base next door".
{{cite web}}:|first=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Raghavan, Sudarsan; Whitlock, Craig (24 November 2017). "A city in Niger worries a new U.S. drone base will make it a 'magnet' for terrorists" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
- ^ Whitlock, Craig (1 September 2014). "Pentagon is set to open second drone base in Niger as it broadens counterterrorism operations in West Africa" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
- ^ "U.S. building $100 million drone base in central Niger". 30 September 2016 – via Reuters.
- ^ "A city in Niger worries new US drone base will make it a 'magnet' for terrorists". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
- ^ a b Penney, Joe (18 February 2018). "Drones in the Sahara: A Massive U.S. Drone Base Could Destabilize Niger — and May Even Be Illegal Under Its Constitution".
- ^ 438th Air Expeditionary Group (April 19, 2017). "Review of the 724 EABS' First Year in Niger". YouTube. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Seligman, Lara (September 4, 2018). "Shadowy U.S. Drone War in Africa Set to Expand". Foreign Policy.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Rempfer, Kyle (January 4, 2019). "New in 2019: Two new US air bases in Africa nearing completion". Air Force Times.
- ^ Coleman, Rachelle (October 24, 2018). "RED HORSE tests materials, equipment for future flight line". United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa.
U.S. Air Force 31st Expeditionary Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operation Repair Squadron Engineer Airmen prepare a flight line test strip on Nigerien Air Base 201, Agadez, Niger, Oct. 19, 2018.
- ^ a b c Rempfer, Kyle (November 19, 2018). "Completion of US drone base in Niger to be delayed". Air Force Times.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Boyer, Devin (July 8, 2019). "Nigerien Air Base 201 Airmen, Soliders host bazaar for local vendors". United States Air Force. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019.
- ^ U.S. MILITARY IS BUILDING A $100 MILLION DRONE BASE IN AFRICA, Nick Turse, The Intercept, 2016-09-29
- ^ DRONES IN THE SAHARA: A Massive U.S. Drone Base Could Destabilize Niger — and May Even Be Illegal Under Its Constitution, Joe Penney, The Intercept, 2018-02-19
External links
- Online BBC press article: War in the desert - Why the Sahara is terror's new front line. By Firle Davies & Alastair Leithead. Published 21 June 2018 on BBC.co.uk
- In Niger, rising temperatures mean barren fields -- but fertile ground for terrorism on YouTube PBS NewsHour published on April 16, 2019
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