The Moroccan minister in charge of national defense administration, Abdellatif Loudyi, stated Saturday in a report of a parliamentary meeting that Morocco is trying to develop a local military industry, especially with the manufacturing of intelligence and combat drones.

The Moroccan government wants to develop “certain sectors of the military industry, including weapons and ammunition, as well as the manufacture of drones capable of conducting intelligence operations, surveillance and armed attacks, in addition to the maintenance of military aircraft,” said the minister quoted in the minutes of a parliamentary meeting on the draft budget allocated to defense for 2023.

Abdellatif Loudyi, who did not give more information on the nature of these operations, said that a project to build a maintenance factory for military aircraft has been assigned to a specialized international company in the region of Benslimane (north of Casablanca).

The minister affirmed that a law allowing for the granting of licenses for the growth of military industries has already been adopted by the government in order to “strengthen the independence” of the kingdom in this area.

Kamikaze drones

Moroccan and Israeli media reported in November 2021 a $22 million contract -not officially confirmed- between Rabat and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Israel’s leading public aerospace group, for the delivery of “kamikaze drones.”
The news website Yabiladi.com reported that the military cooperation agreement between Morocco and Israel also includes the “launch of two industrial units to manufacture unmanned aircraft.” It cited a Moroccan security source for this information.
As part of a process of normalization between the Jewish state and several Arab nations, supported by the previous administration of the United States under Donald Trump, Israel and Morocco normalized their relations in December 2020.
The normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries – in return for U.S. recognition of Moroccan “sovereignty” over the disputed territory of Western Sahara – has renewed tensions with Algeria, a supporter of the Palestinian cause.
According to Moroccan military experts, Rabat already employs unmanned aircraft for intelligence gathering and border surveillance. Unofficial reports claim that a Moroccan drone strike killed one of the Polisario Front’s leaders, who was leading the Sahrawi independence movement, in April.

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Morocco orders Turkish armed drones from Turkey’s Baykar according to AfricanIntelligence.

Turkey’s Baykar will supply the Moroccan army with attack drones.

According to the same source, Morocco will obtain from Turkey, according to the contract, 4 ground stations for command, a simulation system for training for drone command, an installed drones operations center, a digital system for tracking and storing information for the Royal Armed Forces, in addition to training, logistical and technical support.

The same source confirmed that Morocco is scheduled to receive these drones within one year.

This contract makes Morocco on its way to obtain the first armed drones in its military arsenal, after the tangible results achieved by this Turkish regime, especially during the recent war in the Caucasus.

This comes in a continuation of the doctrine of more than 35 years of the use of drones for military purposes. The Royal Air Force has been a pioneer in this field since the eighties.This contract comes, pending the notation of the US REAPER purchase contract, which will be a real qualitative addition to the lethal and growing capabilities of the Royal Air Forces, parallel to the growing position of the Kingdom as a true regional and continental power and the only axes of the world powers for the security and stability of the region.

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