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Rabat – Morocco continues to reinforce its military defense potential. The North African country is set to receive a new delivery of US-made anti-ship missiles; including the AGM-158 JASSM, RGM and UGM.
According to Defense Industry Daily, which is dedicated to tracking and analyzing military contracts, awards and programs, the anti-ship missiles are designed “to attack well-defended targets without putting its carrier aircraft in the crosshairs of new long-range surface to air missile systems.”
Providing specific details about the missiles which are expected to be delivered to Morocco in the coming days, the source said that AGM-88E are designed to “attack and kill enemy radars.”
“The sub-sonic, wave-skimming GM-84 Harpoon has been adapted into several variants and exported to many navies around the world,” Defense Industry Daily added.
As Morocco does not have launching platforms for such missiles, the military expert website predicted that Morocco will use these six missiles with the RMAF f-16C for anti-ship missions.
In April, Morocco hosted the US Formed Forces, joint military exercise, known as African Lion 2018. The military exercise was attended by 15 countries, including Burkina Faso, Canada, Chad, Egypt, France, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Spain and Tunisia.
On May 8, the defense and weapons procurement publication Defense World, reported that the Northrop Grumman Corporation “was awarded a [USD] 9,491,066 modification (P00001) to foreign military sales (Morocco) contract W56HZV-18-C-0065 for eye safe laser range finders for Morocco’s M1A2S tank.”
Morocco has also purchased 220 Abrams tanks “refurbished for the Kingdom through the US Army’s Excess Defense Articles (EDA) program.”
Morocco was positioned as the second largest arms importer in Africa in the 2018 report released by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
The report also shows that the US is Morocco’s main military supplier, holding 52 percent of imports in Morocco.
