Morocco Signs $175 Million Artillery Deal with Israel’s Elbit Systems

On Monday, Morocco signed a contract with the Israeli company Elbit Systems for the acquisition of 36 Atmos 2000 self-propelled artillery systems, reports Barlamane, specifying that the order amount is estimated at 175 million euros, or about 1.9 billion dirhams. The kingdom is thus ending its cooperation with KNDS France, from whom it had ordered the Caesar in 2020 and received the first delivery two years later. Problems, including persistent tensions over the quality and maintenance of the delivered equipment, emerged shortly after this delivery, but the French manufacturer was unable to resolve them, with some artillery pieces apparently still non-operational to this day. With this sale, Tel Aviv is strengthening its military cooperation with Rabat.

Mounted on a Czech Tatra truck, the Atmos 2000 is distinguished by its rapid deployment capabilities, its automated firing system, and its high mobility on difficult terrain. This system has a reduced crew. Its main technical characteristics include a range of more than 40 km thanks to the ERFB-BB shells, a flexible chassis that can be adapted in 6x6 or 8x8 configuration, an armored cabin capable of accommodating between 2 and 6 crew members and compatibility with the 155 mm ammunition used by NATO. This modern system has an on-board storage capacity of 18 shells and propellant charges. Thanks to its "shoot-and-scoot" technology, which allows it to fire and reposition quickly to avoid any enemy retaliation, it provides great responsiveness on the battlefield.