Morocco’s F-16 Fleet Returns Upgraded with Advanced Electronic Warfare Systems

According to sources cited by the specialized website Defensa.es, two aircraft from the sixth air base in Ben Guérir were escorted back from the United States by a KC-135R refueling aircraft for their return to Morocco. The American company Harris Corporation had won the $91 million tender to equip the Moroccan F-16s with the "AN/ALQ-211 AIDEWS (Advanced Defensive Electronic Warfare Suite) electronic warfare system", which has the ability to detect radar waves and thus protect the aircraft from surface-to-air and air-to-air missile attacks.

Furthermore, the same source also reveals that the fleet of Moroccan F-16 Block-52 is currently undergoing maintenance at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Corporation, following the signing of a $16 million contract in November 2016. In addition, the Moroccan authorities had expressed the wish to acquire the F-16 Viper, an improved version unveiled in 2012, which is equipped with an advanced mission computer and terrain following display, in addition to an active electronically scanned array radar.

Currently, the kingdom has 36 F-16s, but one aircraft was shot down in May 2015 by the Houthi rebels in Yemen with pilot Yassine Bahti on board. Since then, Morocco has withdrawn from this coalition and seems to be completely revising its policy towards Saudi Arabia.