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Rabat – Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces (FAR) is considering the acquisition of Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles from Ukraine.
Military-oriented outlet Tactical Report reported on February 7 that Morocco is “said to be close to reaching an agreement”’ with Ukraine on the military deal.
Another armed forces-related outlet, Army Recognition, provided details on a Moroccan army delegation that visited Ukraine in December 2020. The delegation made a visit to Ukrainian Amor, a manufacturer of personal protection equipment.
“During this visit, the Ukrainian company has conducted live demonstration to demonstrate combat capabilities of MRAP Varta and SAV Novator armored vehicles, 60 mm, 82 mm, and 12 mm mortar and ammunition,” the website specialized in military news added.
MRAP Varta vehicles are fully equipped vehicles that transport soldiers in combat situations.
Ukrainian Amor said that the vehicles can additionally be “equipped as a Command-Post Vehicle or evacuation of troops.”
According to the Ukrainian company, the vehicle’s compartments are made from “specialized 560 steel grade which protects the crew from armored piercing incendiary ammo [ammunition].”
The reports on the new potential deal between Morocco and Ukraine come as part of Rabat’s vision and approach to modernize its military equipment and personnel. The news also comes amid a widely-covered military stand-off between Russia on one side and Ukraine and NATO on the other.
Recently, several reports emerged on military deals Morocco made with its international partners, including France.
In December 2021, Spanish news outlet La Razon reported that Morocco was preparing to receive French-made VL-Mica missile systems.
In the same month, news on the inauguration of Morocco’s first military base dedicated to long-range air defense also made international headlines.
Morocco reportedly inaugurated the military base in the town of Sidi Yahia El Gharb in the Rabat-Sale Kenitra region.
In January, Morocco ranked 55th out of 140 countries in terms of military power worldwide.
The 2022 Global Firepower ranking shows Morocco’s PowerIndex score at 0.857. A score of 0.0000 is considered perfect, according to the ranking.
