Morocco Bolsters Air Defense with French VL MICA Missile System

In 2019, Morocco signed two arms contracts with France worth 400 million euros, for the acquisition of Caesar artillery systems (200 million) and the VL Mica short-range air defense system (200 million). The kingdom obtained a 192 million euro loan from the French bank BNP Paribas to finance the agreement with the French manufacturer MBDA, recalls Defensa.

To read: Morocco Bolsters Air Defense with French VL-MICA Missile System Acquisition

The French VL Mica system will strengthen the air defense of the Moroccan army, which already has Chinese air defense systems. But the VL Mica will not be the last acquisition of the kingdom, which has been modernizing its army for several years. The Israeli Barak 8 and possibly the American Patriot are also expected.

To read: Morocco Bolsters Air Defense with Chinese Missile Systems Near Rabat

The VL Mica offers 360° coverage and an interception range of up to 20 km against aircraft, helicopters, drones, cruise missiles and air-to-air missiles. It consists of a tactical operations center with a radar unit and up to four missile launchers with two types of missiles: the Mica RF with an active radar seeker and the Mica IR with infrared guidance.