Morocco Bolsters Air Defense with Chinese Missile System, Rivaling Algeria’s Arsenal

8 January 2022 – bySylvanus@Bladi · 1 min read

Morocco received the first batch of the Chinese FD-2000B air defense system ordered in 2017 last December. Enough to compete with Algeria, the protector of the Polisario independence movement, which has cut ties with the kingdom, particularly because of the dispute over the Sahara, and has equipped itself with a comparable system from Russia.

First batch out of the four ordered from China in 2017, the Chinese FD-2000B air defense system has a range of 250 km. It was installed on part of the Sidi Yahya al-Gharb military base located 60 km from Rabat on an area of 42,000 m². According to experts, only part of this base is preparing to become a strategic center for long and medium-range air defense.

The same base will host medium-range missiles like the Chinese Sky Dragon which have a range of 50 km, Boeing Apache helicopters used by Washington in Afghanistan and Iraq and Patriot missiles whose delivery is expected.

Morocco is thus strengthening its armaments against Algeria, which does not rule out the possibility of declaring war on it. "Algeria does not want war with Morocco, but it is ready to do so," the newspaper L’Opinion believed to know in some circles close to the Algerian army. "If we have to do it, it’s today, because we are militarily superior at all levels and it may not be the case in a few years," acknowledged another source.

Category: Morocco

Keywords:

Algeria Defense - Armament