$42 million to prepare Moroccan pilots for future F-16s

The contract was announced on August 31 by the U.S. Department of War. It specifically covers the training system for the Royal Moroccan Air Force’s F-16 Block 72s, as well as its logistical support.

CAE Inc., a Canadian group specializing in simulation and with a facility in Arlington, Texas, will receive a maximum of $42.103 million. Of this amount, $37.975 million from the U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program is committed upon the award of the contract.

Morocco will receive two “Full Mission Trainers,” simulators designed to reproduce a complete mission without deploying a real combat aircraft.

The Kingdom has been preparing its infrastructure for the arrival of the new F-16 Block 72s for several years. The new contract now confirms that Sidi Slimane will host an essential part of the training system.

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Each simulator will include a replica of the F-16 Block 72 cockpit, a visual display system, computer and electrical equipment, as well as a station enabling the instructor to supervise the exercises.

The contract also includes the JHMCS II, the helmet-mounted display system used with the new F-16s, as well as spare parts, support equipment, backup power supply and a central server.

Training without deploying the aircraft

This equipment will enable pilots to rehearse procedures and mission scenarios on the ground in an environment reproducing that of the Block 72. Instructors will be able to monitor the pilot’s reactions and modify the situations he faces without using an operational aircraft.

The work will be carried out in Arlington, Texas, and at Sidi Slimane Air Base. The contract must be fully completed no later than April 30, 2029.

The arrival of these simulators accompanies the expansion of Morocco’s F-16 fleet. In 2019, Morocco requested the acquisition of 25 new F-16C/D Block 72s as part of a program whose maximum value had been estimated by Washington at $3.787 billion.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency had already included personnel training, training equipment and simulators in this package, without separately identifying at the time the price of the simulation devices now ordered from CAE.

At the same time, Rabat had requested the modernization of its 23 existing F-16s to the F-16V configuration, for a potential amount of $985.2 million. Ultimately, the Royal Moroccan Air Force should therefore have 48 aircraft meeting the Viper standard or equivalent.

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The new aircraft notably feature the AN/APG-83 AESA radar, deeply modernized avionics and new electronic warfare systems. The United States recently ordered additional equipment intended to strengthen threat detection by Moroccan aircraft.

The contract awarded to CAE therefore complements the material preparation of the new fighters with the preparation of their crews. By April 2029, two full-mission F-16 Block 72 simulators must be operational within the Moroccan system, with Sidi Slimane as the installation site in Morocco.