Morocco Bolsters Air Defense with US Patriot Missile System Purchase

21 January 2021 – byBladi.net · 1 min read

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