Morocco’s Secret Air Base: Advanced Missiles and Military Tech Near Rabat

This military base houses the 24 medium-range "Sky Dragon 50" missiles acquired by Morocco from China, a military partner of the kingdom, as well as the United States and Israel, reports Merca2. Military analysts who have seen satellite images of the Sidi Yahya-El Gharb air base note the presence of agents and hangars of different sizes and functionalities, suggesting the presence of surface-to-air missile systems on this site.

In addition to the Chinese missile system, Morocco has acquired the French short-range VL Milka missile system and concluded a $200 million contract with the missile manufacturer MBDA (an Airbus subsidiary) for the acquisition of vertical launch missile systems. Continuing its dynamic of modernizing its army, the kingdom has recently acquired the HIMARS mobile anti-missile system from the United States, after purchasing other high-tech weapons such as Apache helicopters or Abrams tanks.

After normalizing its relations with Israel in December 2020, as part of the Abraham Accords under the aegis of the United States, Morocco has strengthened its military cooperation with the Hebrew state, which has allowed it to acquire the Skylok Dome anti-drone system, created by Skylock Systems, a subsidiary of the powerful Avnon group. It is "equipped with optical and thermal surveillance devices and a radar that monitors and tracks any suspicious activity," explains Abdel Hamid Harfi, a Moroccan expert on defense issues.

Morocco and Israel have signed a memorandum of understanding for the local manufacture in Morocco of kamikaze drones. A project that is already a reality. The Moroccan company Bio Cellular Design Aeronautics will manufacture these drones with Israeli expertise. Morocco already has Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones, as well as the Israeli Hermes 900 and Barak 8 missile systems. It is also interested in the Barak MX. The only problem remains the "good maintenance" of these systems which risk losing their effectiveness over the years and being out of service.