Morocco Opts for U.S. F-16s, Rejecting France’s Rafale Fighter Jet Deal

A succession of strategic and diplomatic errors, political upheavals of the last decade... France has failed to convince Morocco to sign an agreement for the acquisition of the flagship aircraft of the French aerospace industry. The joint efforts of Dassault Aviation, the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) and the Élysée Palace have proven fruitless. "We thought the game was won because it was Morocco, as if that country would naturally sign with France," laments a senior French army officer to the newspaper L’Express, which devotes a long article to the subject.

Morocco could have concluded this agreement since 2006. At the time, King Mohammed VI had decided to modernize the Moroccan fleet of Mirage F1s. The Palace had then informed the Élysée of its intention to acquire Rafale aircraft, but the negotiations never materialized. And for good reason, the Délégation générale pour l’armement (DGA) favored a state-to-state negotiation, while the management of the industrial consortium behind the Rafale opted for purely commercial discussions. Moreover, the selected offer of 2.6 billion euros turned out to be enormous.

French diplomacy misses the boat. American diplomacy then enters the race. Supported by the commercial power of Lockheed Martin, Washington offers a fleet of 24 brand new F-16s, perfectly suited to Moroccan needs, for 1.6 billion euros, a much lower price than that of the Rafale. In addition to this attractive offer, the Americans are also strengthening their political support for Rabat, particularly on the Sahara issue. A $697.5 million contract has also been signed between Morocco and the Millennium Challenge Corporation to strengthen bilateral economic ties between the two countries.

In 2007, France "desperately tries to catch up, finally offering full financing through Coface." A proposal that comes too late. Morocco acquires the American F-16s. A blow for Dassault and the other French industrialists who no longer participated in the Aéroexpo trade show in Marrakech, initially scheduled for October of the same year. The Rafale is "formidable but difficult to sell," estimates a former French defense minister.

Last September, rumors surfaced that Morocco could be the next buyer of Rafale combat aircraft. These rumors followed the announcement by the CEO of Dassault Aviation regarding the signing of a new contract by the end of 2024 with "a new country." For now, Morocco has not made any decision in this direction.