Morocco to produce Israeli kamikaze drones in the "most modern factory in Africa

The Israeli company BlueBird Aero Systems will soon begin assembling its SpyX suicide drones in Benslimane, northeast of Casablanca. This facility is described as the first drone factory in North Africa and the "most modern on the continent", surpassing existing units.

The SpyX is a formidable lightweight loitering munition: with a range of 50 km and an endurance of 90 minutes, it can identify and strike armored targets by crashing into them at 250 km/h. Although the official announcement of the factory’s commissioning has not yet been made, BlueBird has confirmed on LinkedIn that it is welcoming a "technical team from our Moroccan client" for in-depth training, with a photo to prove it.

Israel, Morocco’s 3rd arms supplier

This industrial establishment marks a qualitative leap in the cooperation between Rabat and Tel Aviv, which has intensified since the Abraham Accords in 2020. Israel has risen to the rank of Morocco’s third arms supplier (11% of imports for 2020-2024), behind the United States (64%) and France (15%). This partnership has already materialized through the purchase of Barak 8 anti-missile systems, radars or the Ofek 13 spy satellite, sometimes to the detriment of traditional French suppliers.

This rise in the national industry, which also includes the manufacture of WhAp 8x8 armored vehicles with India’s Tata Advanced Systems in Berrechid and a potential project with Turkey’s Baykar, is part of a context of heightened regional rivalry.

Faced with Algeria, whose military budget will reach a record 22.1 billion euros in 2026 and which would be the first customer of the Russian Su-57 fighter, Morocco is betting on technology and strategic partnerships. While Morocco’s defense budget for 2026 is increasing to 7 billion euros (excluding multi-year commitments), Rabat is now favoring the transfer of skills to reduce its dependence and strengthen its strategic autonomy.