Israeli weapons manufactured at the gates of Algeria. The military drone factory planned by an Israeli company in Morocco is taking shape.
The two countries, which normalized their relations in December 2020, are taking a new step in their military cooperation, in a context marked by the bloody war waged by Israel against Gaza since October 2023.
Morocco normalized its relations with the Jewish state in December 2020 under the aegis of American President Donald Trump who, in return, recognized the “ Moroccan sovereignty » on Western Sahara.
A year later, in November 2021, Benny Gantz, then Minister of Defense of Israel, made a historic visit during which the two sides signed a security and military cooperation protocol described as ” unprecedented » for Israel with an Arab country.
The protocol provided for the manufacture of weapons in Morocco with the expertise and assistance of Israeli companies.
In April 2024, a first major project in this direction was announced by BlueBird Aero Systems. The CEO of the Israeli company, a leader in military industries, revealed in statements to the press a project to open a drone production factory in Morocco.
Israel launches construction of military drone factory in Morocco
It didn’t take long for the project to come to fruition. According to the Moroccan website Yabiladi.com, construction work on the factory has begun and Israeli experts are currently in Morocco to supervise operations.
The Moroccan media recognizes that the situation in Gaza impacted the pace of the installation of the factory, but nothing more.
Despite international arrest warrants for crimes against humanity in Gaza issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the project is maintained and Morocco does not not renounce its military cooperation with Israel, as shown by the launch of construction work on this drone factory.
According to Yabiladi, the unit will manufacture Israeli drones intended for the Moroccan market and for export, particularly to Africa.
« Morocco aims to enter the closed circle of arms manufacturers » writes the newspaper which recalls that in November 2023, Abdellatif Loudiyi, Minister Delegate in charge of defense administration, announced before Parliament a project to develop a military industry “ oriented towards the production of unmanned aircraft ».
Last September, the Moroccan government signed an agreement to “ strategic partnership » with the Indian company Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) for the manufacture in Morocco of a land combat vehicle.
Morocco’s arms spending worsens the already very precarious economic and social situation of the kingdom. The latest figures published by the High Commission for Planning showed a record unemployment rate of 21% in 2024.
Last July, the Moroccan government placed an order for the acquisition of an Israeli spy satellite for $1 billion.
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