Rabat – The US Congress is set to review Morocco’s request to acquire the MQ-9B SeaGuardian unmanned air vehicles.
Spanish news outlet El Periodico de Ceuta said members of the US congress will discuss the agreement in the coming days.
The deal covers an acquisition request of at least four MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones to Morocco.
In 2020, Reuters cited three US sources, emphasizing that the congress is deliberating about the sale request.
The sources said the US State Department authorized the sale of the four unmanned aerial drones to Morocco.
They are unsure, however, if US officials have approved the export of drones with weapons attached.
Manufactured by General Atomics, a US-based company, the unmanned air vehicle is able to fly for “40 hours in all types of weather,” General Atomics has stated.
“The aircraft is outfitted with the revolutionary Lynx Multi-mode Radar, an advanced electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor, automatic takeoff and landing, and features a longer wingspan than its predecessors at 79 ft (24m),” the company added.
Morocco has considerably invested in its military to upgrade its army resources and equipment.
The US is Morocco’s largest arms supplier, providing 69% of the North African country’s weapons , followed by France, and Israel.
A report from the financial website Insider Monkey, ranked Morocco among the top 20 countries worldwide in terms of artillery strength.
Morocco is the 20th top country with the largest artillery arsenal, according to the report.
The country’s artillery arsenal includes 565 self-propelled artillery, 306 towed artillery, and 208 rocket projects.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in April that Morocco along with Algeria have together accounted for 82% of North African military expenditure last year.
Military spending on the continent reached $51.6 billion in 2023, representing 22% increase compared to 2022.
