In a context where the countries of the Sahel and West Africa express a pressing need for air capacity, a new perspective is opening up for Morocco.
The kingdom is preparing to join the circle of nations constructing military drones, taking advantage of Israeli expertise in particular, underlines an article in the newspaper Le Monde. This collaboration comes to fruition with the announcement by the Israeli company BlueBird Aero Systems of the upcoming launch of an unmanned aircraft (ASP) production unit in Morocco.
The article in the newspaper Le Monde reports that this production unit, whose exact location remains confidential, should begin its activity shortly. This initiative is part of a broader project announced by the Moroccan Minister of Defense in November 2023, aimed at developing a national military industry focused on the production of drones.
Which drones will be manufactured in Morocco? WanderB and ThunderB models,” assures Asher Fredman, the director for Israel of the Abraham Accords Institute for Peace, quoted by Le Monde. These devices are mainly intended for reconnaissance, intelligence, and target detection missions.
Furthermore, Morocco is also considering local production of the SpyX drone, a kamikaze version that has already proven itself on battlefields, such as in Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh. “These lurking munitions, which have proven themselves in Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh, are increasingly decisive on the battlefields,” underlines Nizar Derdabi, a former officer of the Moroccan gendarmerie, quoted by Le Monde.
Technology transfer
This collaboration between Morocco and Israel raises questions about the details of the cooperation, particularly about knowledge sharing and technology transfer. “Israeli engineers will train their Moroccan counterparts on site,” confirms Nizar Derdabi.
In addition to its implications for national defense, this project could also pave the way for export opportunities for Morocco. Indeed, the country could be led to sell drones manufactured on its territory to countries in the Sahel and West Africa, which are looking for aerial capabilities.
A decree on the subject has already been adopted in June 2021, within the framework of the law relating to defense and security materials and equipment, and which mentions that export constitutes an objective for the establishment of an industry defense.
Another advantage of manufacturing weapons on its territory: Morocco will no longer have to buy turnkey weapons but will manufacture them according to its own needs.
Morocco will no longer be forced to buy its weapons off the shelf. As they will be manufactured on-site, the devices will be able to better meet the needs of the Moroccan army and the constraints of the field,” explains the Moroccan analyst.
