US Army to Test Up to 15 Counter-Drone Technologies in Morocco
The US Army is preparing a counter-drone testing campaign in Tan-Tan in spring 2027. It says it chose the location because of the conditions Africa offers: clear airspace, a favorable electromagnetic environment and terrain that is difficult to replicate in the United States or Europe.
Why travel all the way to Tan-Tan to test new military technologies? In a statement published on October 16, the US Army gives its answer: Africa offers an open electromagnetic spectrum, relatively uncongested airspace and varied terrain. These are conditions that its testing centers in the United States and Europe cannot easily bring together. Washington plans to evaluate up to fifteen counter-drone solutions in Morocco.
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The stakes go beyond the vast expanses of the desert. The military wants to put its equipment to the test in conditions similar to those encountered in operations, particularly to protect command posts and forward installations from small drones.
The program is part of the development of the Tan-Tan military testing center, the result of Moroccan-American cooperation. Morocco had already hosted tests of autonomous platforms and remotely operated systems during African Lion 2026.
Up to fifteen solutions to be tested in 2027
According to the US Army, the first demonstrations will be conducted by US soldiers in February and March 2027. A second phase of operational evaluation will follow in April and May, during the multinational exercise African Lion 2027.
Five categories of equipment are involved: a deployable integrated system, detection technologies, physical interception capabilities, non-kinetic neutralization devices and passive protection solutions. Up to fifteen technologies may be evaluated, with no guarantee that they will all be selected.
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The campaign brings together the US command SETAF-AF and G-TEAD, an organization tasked with accelerating the acquisition of new military capabilities. The goal is to cut to 180 days the time needed to make validated solutions available to soldiers.
