NATO Naval Exercise Features Spanish and Moroccan Frigates in Joint Maneuvers

According to Defensa, the exercise is organized between the Royal Moroccan Navy and NATO. The Spanish frigate "Méndez Núñez" (F-104) of the Álvaro de Bazán class is participating in these maneuvers because it is currently part of NATO’s Permanent Naval Group No. 2, also known as the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2).

The "Tarik Ben Ziyad" frigate is one of the most powerful combat ships of the Royal Moroccan Navy, which also has two other SIGMA (Ship Integrated Geographical Modularity Approach) type ships ("Sultan Moulay Ismail" and "Allal Ben Abdellah") acquired from the Dutch shipbuilder Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding, as well as the frigate "Mohammed VI", considered the most powerful.

The "Tarik Ben Ziyad" is the largest of the three SIGMAs. It is 105 meters long and 13 meters wide. The three frigates, delivered between 2011 and 2012, make the Moroccan navy one of the most modern in Africa and also allow interoperability, among others, with forces such as the US Navy, thanks to its anti-surface (ASuW), anti-submarine (ASW) and air defense capabilities. These ships can also be combined with aircraft such as the AS565 Panther helicopters or with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).