Morocco Acquires Advanced HIMARS Missile System, Bolstering Military Capabilities

Morocco will spend around 525 million euros to purchase the HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System), whose range could reach 500 with certain munitions, reports Merca 2, noting that the kingdom has spent nearly $20 billion over the past decades to modernize its army. The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces have American M1 Abrams main battle tanks, F-16 fighter jets, and are said to have a total of more than 1,800 tanks compared to only 300 for the Spanish army. Morocco has become a privileged partner of the United States and Israel in the military field.

For its part, Spain is determined to respect its commitment made to NATO to devote 2% of its GDP to defense. Defense Minister Margarita Robles recently announced the purchase of three new A400M medium transport aircraft, in addition to the 14 already available. The country would also have entered into negotiations with Eurocopter (a subsidiary of Airbus) in Albacete for the purchase of the NH90 medium transport helicopter. According to analysts from Global Fire Power, a military consulting firm, Spain has military superiority over Morocco, revealing that the country is ranked 21st in the world military power ranking out of 145 countries, while Morocco is housed in 65th place.

Experts estimate that the Spanish Armed Forces remain clearly superior to the Moroccan ones, both in terms of air power (517 aircraft against 250 for the Moroccans) and naval power (the Spanish Navy ranked 22nd in the world against 25th for the Moroccan Navy). Regarding the army, the forces are more balanced, with the Moroccan army having more tanks and troops and the Spanish army being technically better. Considering the current geopolitical context, experts believe that Morocco is not a threat to Spain. The two countries maintain good cooperation in intelligence and the fight against jihadist terrorism.

Moreover, Morocco has launched in recent years the acquisition of the latest generation of drones from Turkey and China. Meanwhile, Spain plans to bring into service by 2024 the S81 submarine, developed by Navantia for several years. It also plans to acquire American MH60 helicopters for the Navy, the SIRPAD drone system, RPAs and various types of missiles including Mistral, not to mention the American F35 fighter jet manufactured by Lockheed Martin and the SCAF air defense system.