Morocco continues to modernize its army. It has chosen the Israeli Atmos 2000 artillery system over the French Caesar for several reasons.
This is a major setback for KNDS France, the manufacturer of the well-known Caesar cannon, and its subsidiary Arquus, which hoped to supply support vehicles to the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) under an expanded partnership with France. Morocco has turned to the Israeli group Elbit Systems to equip its FAR with 36 self-propelled Atmos 2000 artillery pieces, thus ending cooperation with KNDS France, according to the French newspaper La Tribune. This decision is justified by ongoing tensions regarding the quality and maintenance of equipment delivered by KNDS France to Morocco. In 2020, the kingdom ordered the Caesar from the manufacturer and received the first delivery two years later. Issues arose shortly after this delivery, but the French manufacturer was unable to resolve them, with some artillery pieces reportedly still inoperable to this day.
Mounted on a Czech Tatra truck, the Atmos 2000 stands out for its rapid deployment capabilities, automated firing system, and great mobility on difficult terrain. This system features a reduced crew. Its main technical characteristics include a range over 40 km with ERFB-BB shells, a flexible chassis that can be adapted to 6×6 or 8×8 configurations, an armored cabin that can accommodate between 2 to 6 crew members, and compatibility with 155mm NATO-standard munitions. This modern system has an onboard storage capacity for 18 shells and propellants. Thanks to its “shoot-and-scoot” technology, which allows it to fire and quickly reposition to avoid enemy counterattacks, it offers high responsiveness on the battlefield.
Israel has become Morocco’s third-largest arms supplier, accounting for 11% of its military imports, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). With this sale, Tel Aviv strengthens its military cooperation with Rabat. Meanwhile, France is losing ground in Morocco.
