Bladi.net English

Morocco Bolsters Air Defense with US Patriot Missile System Purchase

– byBladi.net · 1 min read
Morocco Bolsters Air Defense with US Patriot Missile System Purchase

Morocco has recently acquired the Patriot air defense system from the United States, the U.S. Agency for International Trade said in a recent note on the Moroccan aerospace sector. This is the medium-range surface-to-air missile defense system against all air threats.

According to the same source, the acquisition of this American system aims to significantly improve the anti-missile defense capability of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR).

In 2020, the kingdom, the largest buyer of American weapons in Africa, acquired 25 new F-16 aircraft from the United States, for a total budget of $2.8 billion, as well as 24 new Apache attack helicopters for $1.6 billion. It also bought several G550 reconnaissance aircraft from the United States.

In total, Moroccan military equipment sales in 2020 increased by more than 100%, from $4.01 billion to $8.5 billion, the U.S. Agency for International Trade said. Moreover, several other acquisitions currently under negotiation could bring this amount well beyond $10 billion in the coming years.

In addition to the United States, Morocco is also equipping itself with weapons from France and Spain.

Category: Morocco
Keywords:
United States Defense - Armament

Related Articles