US approves sale of HIMARS rocket launchers to Morocco

The US State Department has approved the sale to Morocco of high mobility artillery missile systems (HIMARS). Authorized sources indicate that Morocco will soon acquire 18 M 142 HIMARS launchers equipped with several types of missiles, including ATACMS semi-ballistic missiles with a range of 300 kilometers, relays Al Ahdath Al Maghribia this Wednesday, June 19.

This transaction, previously announced by the Pentagon, was validated by the Security Cooperation Agency, under the Department of Defense, which issued the required certification informing Congress of this sale.

This purchase, estimated to cost $524 million, is considered among the largest military transactions given the importance of ATACMS tactical semi-ballistic missiles, ground-deployed weapons, which stand out for their high precision and their range, which can reach a distance of 300 km.

The length of each unit is 3.98 meters, and its steel sphere measures 61 cm in diameter, and, depending on the model, the weight of their warhead can vary from 160 to 560 kg.

Equipped with a guidance system and difficult to intercept, these missiles are supposed to have a precision level of 10 to 50 meters.

In a previous press release, the American Agency indicated that this sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States “helping to improve the security of a major non-NATO ally that continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in North Africa“.

This same press release specifies that these missiles will contribute to improving Morocco’s capabilities to face current and future threats, and to control its borders, thus contributing to the maintenance of regional stability and security, indicates Al Ahdath Al Maghribia.

This deal “will also strengthen the interoperability of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), which regularly exercise with US forces, focusing on countering terrorism and violent extremist organizations in the Maghreb and Sahel regions», relays the daily, which attests that Morocco will have no difficulty in “absorb these new equipment» in its armed forces.