By Riffat Kausar
Snn News Finland
Rabat’s military modernization drive is turning the kingdom into Israel’s most integrated defense partner in Africa, even as tensions with Algeria over Western Sahara sharpen.
Morocco Pours has committed $17.1 billion in its 2026 fiscal year toward building a domestic defense industry, according to defense-sector reporting, with the 2026 fiscal year producing a stark divergence in defense philosophies between Rabat and Algiers, as Morocco has embraced a qualitative modernization strategy, allocating the sum toward advanced technology and the creation of a domestic defense industry.
Israeli Firms at the Center of the Buildup
Israeli manufacturers have become central suppliers to Morocco’s armed forces.
Morocco Pours operates Israel Aerospace Industries’ Barak MX air-and-missile defense system, Elbit Systems’ ATMOS 155mm self-propelled howitzers, Elta radars fitted to upgraded F-5E fighters, and Elbit’s EXTRA precision rockets with a 150-kilometer range.
A key milestone came with domestic production. In November 2025, IAI subsidiary BlueBird Aero Systems opened a factory in the Benslimane industrial zone outside Casablanca to manufacture SpyX loitering munitions the first such facility anywhere in North Africa or the Middle East outside Israel.
The man-portable systems have a 50-kilometer operational radius, up to 120 minutes of loiter time, terminal dive speeds above 250 km/h, and a 2.5-kilogram warhead designed for strikes on armored vehicles and command posts.
A Multi-Layered Arsenal
The SpyX is one part of a broader air-defense network that also includes Israel’s Barak MX, China’s FD-2000B, and the Sky Dragon 50.
Morocco has additionally acquired Harpoon Block II missiles from France and American platforms including F-16 fighter jets, AH-64 Apache helicopters, and HIMARS rocket launchers.
Morocco has also purchased Rafael Advanced Defense Systems’ Spyder air-defense units, further diversifying its Israeli-sourced arsenal.
Ties Rooted in the Abraham Accords
Israel and Morocco reestablished relations under the Abraham Accords, alongside the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan, in 2020, and the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on arms deals, intelligence cooperation and joint military projects the following year. Morocco’s defense budget rose to $15.7 billion in 2026, a 17.6% increase over 2025.
Western Sahara and Regional Rivalry
The buildup unfolds against the backdrop of the long-running dispute over Western Sahara, where Algeria has backed the Polisario Front’s push for self-determination.
Spanish lawmakers from the far-right Vox party have publicly questioned whether Madrid could respond to a potential Morocco Pours attack using Israeli-designed SpyX drones now built on Morocco’s side of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Industrial and Technology Transfer
Local reports indicate the SpyX project includes technology transfer and training of Moroccan technicians, integrating the loitering munitions into Morocco Pours growing drone arsenal.
Elbit’s Atmos 2000 wheeled artillery system reportedly beat France’s KNDS-made Caesar system in a Morocco Pours procurement competition, underscoring how Israeli suppliers are displacing traditional Western partners.
Elbit Systems ATMOS 155mm self-propelled howitzer used by Morocco’s military
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