Israel’s Defense Minister to Visit Morocco, Bolster Military Cooperation

The Israeli Defense Minister is expected very soon in Morocco, where he will sign a number of defense cooperation agreements, aimed in particular at developing a national drone production industry to strengthen Morocco’s air power, report Defence News and Africa Intelligence.

BlueBird Aerosystems, a subsidiary of the Israeli defense giant Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), has been negotiating for several months with Moroccan teams to develop a business incubator capable of manufacturing such devices, says Africa Intelligence, noting that Morocco has expressed interest in the use of drones after IAI "highlighted" in a sales pitch the intensive use of the Harop suicide drones of its manufacture by Azerbaijan, during the two-month war that had opposed it to Armenia last year.

To date, military relations between Israel and Morocco have mainly focused on intelligence cooperation and arms trade, reports the daily Haaretz. The Moroccan army had received three Israeli reconnaissance drones in January last year. A delivery that is part of a contract worth around $48 million (€41 million) signed in 2014 and finalized through the French company Dassault. These devices are expected to be deployed to counter Polisario attacks along the defense wall in the Sahara.

Israel has also sold Morocco other military systems, including communication and control systems (such as radar systems for fighter jets) through a third party.