Armament: the new "secret" weapon that the United States is delivering to Morocco

The notification, published in the Federal Register in January 2026, specifies that this sale is part of the United States’ national security strategy by supporting a partner considered a key player in the stability of North Africa. The Kingdom had previously expressed the desire to acquire 500 units of these high-precision munitions, complemented by inert training devices. The US authorities believe that the integration of this equipment into the Moroccan forces will be accomplished without major technical difficulty and will not alter the fundamental military balance in the region.

From a technical standpoint, the GBU-39/B SDB-I is a conventional air-to-ground munition of approximately 113 kilograms using a GPS-assisted navigation system. Its compact design offers increased tactical flexibility: an aircraft can carry four of these bombs instead of a single 2,000-pound conventional munition, thus multiplying the number of potential targets during a single sortie. Capable of operating day and night under degraded weather conditions, this weapon allows engaging fixed or relocatable targets from high standoff distances.

The contract designates the Boeing Corporation as the prime contractor. Regarding the protection of sensitive data, the Pentagon has classified the equipment at the "Secret" level, while considering that Morocco has the necessary security protocols to guarantee a level of protection equivalent to that required by US standards. The operation does not provide for the deployment of additional personnel in Morocco, neither government representatives nor civilian contractors, ensuring complete autonomy in the implementation of these new precision vectors.