Morocco is in the midst of negotiations with Israeli manufacturer Elbit Systems for the purchase of cruise missiles for its F-5s.
These Israeli “Delilah” cruise missiles are expected to be the first of their kind to be fitted to Morocco’s military arsenal and would serve the F-5s the Kingdom already has.
If the contract is finalized, Morocco will be able to add to its arsenal missiles with the capacity to hit land and sea targets at a 250 km distance.
The contract, which is part of the revived relationship between Morocco and Israel, is expected to upgrade Moroccan air force fighters with the latest avionics, AESA fire control radar, digital displays, and advanced data software, according to the Defensa website.
The F-5s are also expected to be equipped with advanced sensor systems and jamming systems, as well as a set of modern air-to-ground and air-to-air weapons, the same source adds.
For the moment, negotiations are only at the preliminary stage and the final purchase should be activated after an agreement of Israeli security institutions, that regulate the export of advanced technologies.
According to the Defensa website, these security institutions are very reluctant to sell Israeli defense technology, considering Israel’s own security threats and ongoing conflicts.
The Delilah missiles feature an advanced electro-optical (E/O) seeker for day, night, and all-weather, a cruising speed of Mach 0.5 to 0.7, and a range of 250 kilometers, Defensa says.
Delilah offers a pre-programmed mission capability with post-launch upgrades, a man-in-the-loop capability for target identification, and final strike approval that allows for real-time target identification.
The main feature of these missiles is that unlike a normal cruise missile locked onto a pre-programmed target before launch, Delilah’s unique feature is that it can patrol and monitor an area before a remote navigator identifies the specific target.
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