Morocco has inaugurated its first military base dedicated to long-range air defense, located about 50 kilometers north of Rabat in Sidi Yahia el-Gharb, according to a report from the Spanish Defensa website.
The compound houses a battery of China’s FD-2000B long-range air defense system, one of four batteries that Morocco contracted in 2017 from the Asian country, and covers an area of 42,000 square meters.
According to the same source, Morocco received the first battery for the FD-2000B system in the middle of this year, which was activated a few weeks ago. The FD-2000B long-range air defense system is an export version of the HQ-9B, which has a range of 250 km.
In addition to a fixed circular starting point with a diameter of 170 square meters, the base has equipment repair hangars, an administrative headquarters, and barracks.
Defensa noted that the installation is considered a major breakthrough, as Morocco has relied for many years solely on its air force fighters to perform air defense tasks, due to the absence of a ballistic missile threat.
Morocco has previously expressed interest in acquiring US Patriot missiles. Pending the green light from the US Congress, the kingdom could resort to Israeli Barak-8 missiles.
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