Rabat – Morocco has purchased 150 military drones of the WanderB and ThunderB types, manufactured by Israel’s BlueBird Aero Systems, a company specialized in designing and developing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) equipment.
According to Infodron, a Spanish news platform, this acquisition will allow Morocco to join the growing list of manufacturers of military drones, as a portion of these unmanned aircraft will be built in Morocco. The units are meant both for ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) missions and for armed activities, the Spanish outlet further noted.
Both types of drones have special characteristics that set them apart from other military drones available around the world.
The WanderB drone stands out for its capacity to operate fairly silently without a runway and to take off and land vertically.
“The drone has a maximum takeoff weight of 13 kilos, of which five correspond to the batteries and one and a half to the payload, which can be day or night cameras, and can operate for up to two and a half hours at distances of up to 50 kilometers,” Infodron detailed.
In addition, the WanderB drone has a three-meter wingspan and a length of approximately 1,000 meters. This allows it to fly in winds ranging from 32 to 65 knots.
Read also: Morocco Orders Drones from Israel’s BlueBird Aero System
Morocco’s second new drone, the ThunderB drone is “a more complete drone, with a range of up to 150 kilometers and a tracking antenna that can last more than 12 hours. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 35 kilos and can fly in inclement weather,” the Spanish source specified.
This Moroccan-Israeli deal comes after the two countries signed a military agreement on November 24, 2021, in Rabat, after the re-establishment of their diplomatic relations.
The agreement concerned the construction of industrial units in Morocco for the manufacture of Israeli drones.
In 2021, Morocco received the first batch of WanderB drones, which were utilized at a FAR military drill in the Ouarzazate area in June 2021.
In July this year, Morocco also signed a contract to purchase Israeli Harop drones, to expand its growing fleet of Israeli drones.
