Morocco Aims to Become Major Arms Exporter, Partners with Global Defense Firms

Morocco has embarked on the modernization of its army in recent years not only to catch up with its neighbors, such as Algeria, to rebalance the forces, but also to become a weapons producing and exporting country, by relying on Israel and developing a solid military industry, reveals the international magazine World View, recalling that a project to build two factories in the kingdom for the manufacture of so-called suicide or kamikaze military drones, a type of drone manufactured by Aero Systems, the subsidiary of the Israeli group Aerospace Industries (IAI) has been implemented. These drones are relatively simple to manufacture, but with devastating consequences.

Since 2022, Morocco has been active on this project, in order to achieve self-sufficiency in many military equipment intended for the Royal Armed Forces (FAR). In addition to the agreements with Israel, other agreements with American companies to start the manufacture of military aviation in the kingdom have also been signed. In the same dynamic, the kingdom is courting other companies from countries like India to open a factory specializing in the production of armored military vehicles on its territory. Discussions are also underway with specialized companies such as the Indian company "TATA".

Morocco is also counting on Brazil to build its local military industry, revealed the website Defense Web last year. The two countries signed a partnership agreement in 2019. The first of its kind signed between Brazil and a Maghreb country, this agreement includes the transfer of military technological sciences, the acquisition of defensive weapons, and military training, etc. It also includes the military academic field through the mutual training of officer students and the exchange of trainers, in addition to cooperation in the field of military health and others.