In November 2025, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) subsidiary BlueBird Aero Systems inaugurated a dedicated production facility for its SpyX loitering munitions in the Benslimane industrial zone on the outskirts of Casablanca. This facility marks the first such factory in North Africa or the Middle East outside Israel, signaling a significant expansion of foreign capital into Morocco's defense sector. Moroccan engineers, trained at BlueBird facilities in Israel within the past year, now manage local assembly, integration, and sustainment of the Israeli-designed, man-portable SpyX systems under a full technology-transfer model. These systems, with a 50-kilometer operational radius and 2.5-kilogram warheads, are optimized for precision strikes against armored vehicles, command posts, and high-value targets.
Who Profits
Morocco has directed multi-billion-dollar resources toward what is termed "qualitative modernization" and a "genuine domestic defense industry," prioritizing Western interoperability and technology transfer. This investment directly benefits foreign arms manufacturers. Beyond the SpyX production, Morocco has acquired IAI’s Barak MX modular air-and-missile defense system, an advanced evolution of the Barak 8 family, featuring ELTA ELM-2084 AESA radars. The Moroccan state also operates Elbit Systems’ ATMOS 155 mm wheeled self-propelled howitzers for rapid artillery fire support, 20 Elta radars integrated onto upgraded F-5E Tiger II fighters, and Elbit EXTRA extended-range precision rockets. These acquisitions represent substantial capital accumulation for Israeli defense corporations.
In parallel, Turkish firm Baykar established its Atlas Defense subsidiary in Rabat, with production elements advancing in Benslimane. This $70 million program targets an annual output of up to 1,000 platforms, including the combat-proven Bayraktar TB2 MALE ISR/strike UAV and the heavier Akinci HALE system. This dual-track approach, involving both Israeli and Turkish defense contractors, ensures that Morocco's "operational depth" is secured through continued capital outflow to multiple foreign suppliers. The article contrasts Morocco's approach with Algeria’s record $25 billion annual defense outlay, which is largely funneled into Russian legacy platforms.
The State's Role
The Moroccan state's role as a conduit for capital accumulation by foreign defense industries is further solidified by its integration into US imperial strategy. At the African Land Forces Summit in Rome this year, Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of US Army Europe and Africa, announced plans to establish the continent’s first dedicated drone training center in Morocco. This hub will train operators from across Africa in small UAS, loitering munitions, counter-drone systems, and integrated electronic warfare operations. Donahue stated the initiative is about "a sustainable, enduring capability" that, once proven effective, can be replicated in "other parts of Africa." This initiative will leverage upcoming African Lion 2026 exercises as its initial proving ground before scaling into a permanent, AFRICOM-backed regional node, effectively establishing Morocco as an imperial garrison for US military projection on the continent.
The announcement followed the signing of a joint military work plan for 2026 between Israel and Morocco in early January this year, during the third session of the Joint Military Committee in Tel Aviv. This agreement, signed on the fifth anniversary of the Abraham Accords, structures year-round military dialogue, joint industrial projects, force-development exercises, and strategic alignment. Israeli officials now describe Morocco as Jerusalem’s most vital security partner on the African continent, framing it as a "bridge" where Middle Eastern defense technology meets African operational requirements, thereby facilitating further arms sales and strategic influence.
Moroccan and US forces have already conducted integrated electronic-warfare exercises in the Agadir desert, with Moroccan operators embedded from mission planning through live-field execution alongside American troops. This "interoperability" reflects years of deliberate investment in doctrine and training pipelines, which are prerequisites AFRICOM demands before siting sensitive training infrastructure on foreign soil. The US response to "adversaries exploiting cheap commercial drones" across Africa includes evaluating scalable counter-drone architectures, into which Morocco’s emerging drone ecosystem is designed to slot directly. This positions Morocco as a partner capable of training, maintaining, and exporting military systems for "light, agile, network-enabled forces," rather than addressing the underlying material conditions that give rise to "asymmetric campaigns." The US decision to anchor its continental drone strategy in Moroccan soil, paired with Israel’s deepening defense architecture, validates a model that delivers "enduring strategic advantage" for the US and Israeli military-industrial complex, at the expense of Moroccan public resources.