UAE’s Mirage Fighter Jets Not Headed to Morocco, Analyst Says

"Let’s be clear. The United Arab Emirates will not cede these planes if they do not receive others in replacement. And the replacement is not planned for today, but from 2027, with Rafale fighters," said Abdelhamid Harifi, a military analyst and administrator of the FAR-Maroc forum, to the site Le360, thus denying any transfer of 30 Mirage 2000-9 from the United Arab Emirates to Morocco after a supposed lifting of the French veto on the transfer. To support his words, he explained that the Emirates must "maintain a certain level of deterrence given what is happening today in the region, where tensions are reaching unprecedented levels."

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Moreover, "by 2027, these Mirage fighters will reach 18 or 20 years of operational life. Morocco will therefore not take over aging aircraft and almost at the end of their life. People talking about cutting-edge technology clearly lack knowledge in this field," he analyzed. According to the expert, these planes are adapted to a certain level of risk. "They do have the ability to fire Standoff or cruise missiles for distances of 300 kilometers, but that’s, in my opinion, their only advantage. And after all, we’re not going to recover a heavy charge post. These are expensive planes to maintain, and I think this is a closed subject for us," he added.

Harifi also believes that Morocco should have other priorities. "For now, Morocco needs to start modernizing its F-16s in service, and prepare to receive new F-16s. By 2027, the entire F-16 fleet will be operational, and the F-5s and Mirage F-1s will be at the end of their life. The Moroccan army will then decide to opt for new fighters or to limit itself to a single air defense vector, pending the means to equip itself properly in the air force," he continued.

A few days ago, La Razòn reported that France had accepted the transfer of 30 Emirati Mirage 2000-9 aircraft to Morocco after suspending its decision for three years. At the origin of this suspension, Paris’ desire to buy 40 high-capacity and modern technology Emirati Mirage 2000-9 aircraft, in order to transfer them to Ukraine to support it in its war against Russia. The new French decision "was adopted after many doubts on the part of Emmanuel Macron’s administration," the Spanish media added.