On 5 March 2025 the Royal Armed Forces took delivery of American AH-64 Apache combat helicopters — the most visible milestone in a multi-year effort to transform the Kingdom’s capabilities. GGSF Policy Brief N°02 examines what is driving Morocco defense modernization, how it reshapes the country’s defense posture, and whether it can be sustained.
What follows are the brief’s key takeaways. The full analysis — the options, the points of vigilance and the recommendations — is in the document.
Key takeaways on Morocco defense modernization
- The Apache sits atop a wider basket. The delivery sits atop a wider basket: drones, artillery and missile defense, with an emphasis on aerial systems. Algeria holds the world’s third-heaviest military spending-to-GDP ratio, behind Ukraine and Israel.
- The TB2s built the first ISR edge. Morocco ordered 13 Bayraktar TB2 drones in April 2021 for $70 million, adding six units later for a total of 19. They combine surveillance with attack: 27-hour endurance, a 150-kilometer range and laser-guided bombs.
- Akinci, and Baykar’s local plant. Morocco has received a first Akinci batch under a 2023 agreement, number undisclosed. Heavier: 40-hour endurance, a 7,500-kilometer range, air-to-air missiles. Baykar announced a Moroccan plant in early 2025 able to build up to 1,000 such drones a year.
- F-16s and artillery round out the push. F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft arrive in 2027, with APG-83 AESA radar and a combat radius exceeding 550 kilometers. Israel’s Atmos 2000 — a 155mm howitzer reaching 41 kilometers — joins the 36 Caesar howitzers from France in 2022.
- The bill reflects the ambition. SIPRI puts Morocco’s 2024 military spending at $5.5 billion, or 3.5% of GDP — a 2.6% rise on 2023. America is the primary source: $10.3 billion in 2019 arms deals, and a 2023 approval of a $750 million HIMARS and ATACMS sale.
- Interoperability travels well. Morocco joined NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue in 1994 and has hosted African Lion — the largest US exercise in Africa, over 7,000 participants — since 2007. A new aerial base announced in early 2025 would extend that reach over the Sahel.
- Diversification is the condition of sovereignty. The brief warns against over-reliance on any single supplier. Integration into Lockheed Martin’s global F-16 chain and hubs such as Nouaceur offer a base for component manufacturing, including spare parts for Caesar artillery.
- The maritime flank is the gap. Air and land aside, Morocco’s more than 3,500 kilometers of coastline lack modern frigates, patrol vessels and anti-submarine capability. The brief makes naval assets a priority, while noting exercises at sea such as NATO’s Flotex 2025.
What to hold in view
The bet is that military weight buys diplomatic room — in the Sahara, in the Sahel, and inside the alliance systems of Washington and Brussels. The risk is cost: an arms race that diverts resources from development, and dependence on suppliers whose politics can shift.
