Morocco Reportedly Preparing an Anti-Aircraft “Bubble” Capable of Reaching Spain

The Royal Armed Forces are reportedly moving north assets that had previously been stationed in other regions of Morocco. A serving Spanish military officer interviewed by El Español mentions the installation of new radar stations, anti-aircraft systems and artillery bases.

“They are transferring weapons to northern Morocco that they did not have there before,” the source said. According to the source, the objective would notably be to strengthen Moroccan defenses against Spain and Algeria, with some equipment gradually being moved from the center of the kingdom toward its peripheries.

On Bladi.net : Morocco’s Israeli Air Defense System Challenges Spain’s Regional Dominance

This movement comes as Morocco continues building its military base on Mount Gourougou, near Melilla. The site is notably intended to host assets for aerial and maritime surveillance. The Spanish daily also mentions installations linked to drones and missiles.

A Coverage That Could Reach Spanish Territory

The most spectacular point concerns the range this new system could achieve. According to the military officer cited by El Español, the new anti-aircraft missiles would make it possible to form a “bubble” that, in theory, “would reach Spanish territory.” He also believes that the new Chinese rocket launchers positioned in the north could cover part of the Iberian Peninsula.

The source goes so far as to mention the Chinese HQ-19, estimating that such a system could make it possible to target an aircraft in the Malaga region. This claim must nevertheless be qualified: no official Moroccan or Chinese announcement currently confirms that the Royal Armed Forces possess the HQ-19.

The system does exist. The U.S. Army’s ODIN database describes the HQ-19 as a Chinese mobile interceptor intended notably to neutralize medium-range ballistic missiles, hypersonic glide vehicles and certain targets operating at very high altitudes. But its possible deployment in Morocco remains, at this stage, a hypothesis put forward by the Spanish source.

Morocco, however, already possesses several layers of air defense and is continuing to modernize them. The deployment of the Israeli Spyder system in Morocco was notably identified this year, while Rabat also has Chinese systems acquired previously.

On Bladi.net : Spanish Army Air Defense Exercises Ceuta Morocco Message

This strengthening of the north comes in a context of increased military cooperation with Washington. In April, Rabat and Washington signed a new military roadmap covering the 2026-2036 period. The U.S. DVIDS platform confirms that this new framework is intended to deepen cooperation between the FAR and U.S. forces, particularly in advanced technologies and multidomain training.

El Español, for its part, claims that the United States wants to help Morocco strengthen its surveillance capabilities in the Strait of Gibraltar with ships, radars and drones. Combined with the development of new bases and the strengthening of air defenses in the north, these assets would gradually alter the military balance around the strait and the two cities of Sebta and Melilla.