Morocco-Israel Drone Factory Project Faces Setbacks Amid Gaza Conflict

Morocco and Israel have strengthened their military cooperation after the normalization of their bilateral relations in December 2020, within the framework of the Abraham Accords. A few months ago, the CEO of the Israeli defense company BlueBird Aero Systems had announced the construction of a drone production plant in Morocco, noting the presence of Israeli experts in Morocco to oversee the work.

The Spanish newspaper La Razón notes, however, a delay in the realization of this project due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, stressing that the war in Gaza has affected the construction of this drone production plant intended for the Moroccan and African markets. In recent years, Morocco has continued to reaffirm its desire to join the restricted circle of African countries producing weapons and drones, including Egypt, South Africa and Nigeria.

According to the newspaper Le Monde, the plant under construction will produce ThunderB and WanderB drones, dedicated to reconnaissance and intelligence missions. This unit could also start producing the SpyX kamikaze drone, which would contribute to strengthening Morocco’s defense capabilities, which has already put in place the legal framework to develop the military industry.

In November 2023, the Delegate Minister in charge of National Defense Administration, Abdellatif Loudiyi, presented a project to the Parliament to develop a military industry. The kingdom has also signed agreements with partners such as the United States and Israel, among others, to benefit from their expertise, notes Mohammed Chiker, an expert in international relations, noting that this legal framework will facilitate public and private investment in this strategic sector.