Morocco and India now seek to jointly manufacture military equipment

The decision was announced this Tuesday, September 8, by the Indian Ministry of Defense, following the first meeting of the Joint Defense Committee between the two countries.

The discussions were co-chaired by Brigadier General Abdellah Athmani, head of the 2nd Bureau of the Royal Armed Forces, and Amitabh Prasad, Additional Secretary in charge of international cooperation at the Indian Ministry of Defense.

The two sides agreed to explore several forms of industrial cooperation: co-production, the creation of joint ventures, technological collaboration, as well as the maintenance and support of military equipment.

On Bladi.net : Morocco Armored Vehicles Manufacturing Defense Industry

No particular equipment or manufacturer has yet been designated. The Indian communiqué also makes no mention of a signed contract or a production schedule. It does, however, confirm the two countries’ desire to move from an essentially commercial relationship to more advanced industrial cooperation.

Indian defense industry representatives meet with the Moroccan delegation

The FAR delegation, in India from September 7 to 10, also met with representatives of the defense industry in New Delhi to gain a direct understanding of India’s military production capabilities.

India had already prepared for this development in September 2025. During the visit to Morocco by its Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, the two countries signed an agreement establishing a framework for military cooperation. New Delhi had already referred at that time to possibilities for co-development and co-production.

This cooperation has since taken on a concrete industrial dimension with the manufacture in Morocco of the Indian Tata group’s WhAP 8×8 armored vehicles. The Berrechid plant is to gradually increase the share of components and subsystems produced or assembled locally.

On Bladi.net : article 123329

The scope discussed in New Delhi nevertheless extends beyond armored vehicles alone. The meeting also covered cyberdefense, military exercises, training, peacekeeping operations and military medicine. The Moroccan delegation is notably due to visit New Delhi’s military research and reference hospital.

For India, this first meeting of the Joint Defense Committee is intended to provide a “new impetus” to military relations with Morocco. The next step will now be to turn the co-production and joint venture opportunities discussed in New Delhi into specific industrial projects.