Niger Air Base 201

Niger Air Base 201
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 / 16.95028; 8.01389Coordinates: 16°57′01″N 8°00′50″E / 16.95028°N 8.01389°E / 16.95028; 8.01389
Map
AJY
Location within Niger
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
Paved

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 5km southeast of Agadez. It is owned by the Nigerien military but built and paid for by the United States. When completed some time in 2018, 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

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 is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018.[8]

Construction

The amount of US$50 million was approved by Congress for the base, but the cost may end up exceeding $100 million.[9][10]

References

  1. ↑ "Could this drone base in Niger increase U.S. military operations in Africa?". 30 September 2016.
  2. ↑ 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".
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ "U.S. building $100 million drone base in central Niger". 30 September 2016 – via Reuters.
  6. ↑ "A city in Niger worries new US drone base will make it a 'magnet' for terrorists". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
  7. 1 2 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".
  8. ↑ Seligman, Lara (September 4, 2018). "Shadowy U.S. Drone War in Africa Set to Expand". Foreign Policy.
  9. ↑ U.S. MILITARY IS BUILDING A $100 MILLION DRONE BASE IN AFRICA, Nick Turse, The Intercept, 2016-09-29
  10. ↑ 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
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