Morocco Reportedly in Talks With France Over 12 to 18 Rafale Fighter Jets

Marrakech – Morocco is reportedly negotiating a potential deal with France for the purchase of 12 to 18 Dassault Rafale F4 fighter jets. No contract has been signed, but discussions between Paris and Rabat appear to have reached a significant stage.

According to L’Essentiel de l’Éco, which cited reports from a Spanish defense outlet and several French and Moroccan publications, a government-to-government agreement is under discussion. The deal would cover 12 to 18 Rafale F4 aircraft, with deliveries expected between 2030 and 2031.

It would also include options on A330 MRTT aerial refueling tankers and Scorpène-class submarines for the Royal Navy. A signature could come before the end of President Emmanuel Macron’s current term, according to the same sources. None of these reports carried official confirmation.

The negotiations mark a renewed attempt after a failed bid in 2007, when Morocco turned to Washington and acquired American F-16s instead.

What lends urgency to these negotiations is what has been unfolding east of Morocco’s borders – a military buildup by Algeria of a scale the Maghreb has never witnessed before.

Between March 2025 and April 2026, 167 cargo flights were recorded between Russia and Algeria, according to defense tracking data. A portion of those flights was traced to Komsomolsk-on-Amur in Russia’s Far East, where Sukhoi Su-35 and Su-57 jets are assembled. In February 2026, videos surfaced showing Su-57E stealth fighters flying over Algerian territory.

Algeria became the first export customer of the Russian stealth jet and the first Arab and African country to operate it. Analysts estimate the total Algerian order at between 12 and 14 Su-57E aircraft, based on leaked Rostec documents and earlier contract estimates.

Algeria is also reportedly negotiating the acquisition of 30 to 40 Chinese-made Chengdu J-10CE fighters, along with three to four KJ-500 airborne early warning aircraft. The J-10CE would replace Algeria’s aging MiG-29 fleet.

Western defense analysts have noted the KJ-500 could extend Algerian detection capabilities as far as the Strait of Gibraltar. Morocco currently operates no comparable airborne early warning platform.

In early February 2026, a senior US State Department official testified at a Senate hearing that Algeria’s Russian arms purchases could trigger sanctions under the CAATSA law, which targets countries purchasing Russian military equipment.

The warning remained cautious. Algeria’s role as a major energy supplier to Europe since the start of the war in Ukraine limits Washington’s ability to exert leverage.

Morocco’s existing fleet reinforcement – 25 F-16 Block 70/72 jets ordered in 2019 – has been delayed to 2027-2028 due to Lockheed Martin production constraints and adjustments to the Viper Shield electronic warfare system.

None of those jets carry stealth capabilities comparable to the Su-57E. The option of acquiring secondhand Mirage 2000-9s from the UAE is now closed, as Abu Dhabi decided to retain the aircraft. Preliminary discussions on the American F-35A have also taken place, but delivery timelines remain uncertain, and costs run into tens of billions of dollars.

On the French side, interoperability between the two air forces has deepened. Five Rafale B jets took part in Exercise Marathon 25 alongside Moroccan F-16s between Guelmim and Marrakech in June-July 2025. A Franco-Moroccan armament committee was established the same month following a visit by France’s top arms procurement official, Emmanuel Chiva.

Dassault Aviation held 220 Rafale orders on its books at the end of 2025 and aims to reach 48 deliveries per year by 2028-2029. A Moroccan order of 12 to 18 jets would need to compete for production slots alongside contracts for India, Croatia, Indonesia, and Greece.

The diplomatic momentum between Paris and Rabat extends beyond defense. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is set to visit Morocco on July 15-16, his first foreign trip since taking office. He will be accompanied by around a dozen ministers.

Relations between the two countries have strengthened since President Macron recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara in the summer of 2024.