Morocco, soon to-be first African drone manufacturer

Israeli military contractors have sealed a deal with Morocco to build drone factories in the Kingdom, defense contractors told American outlet The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

The project would be the first of its kind on the African continent, in line with the Moroccan ambition to reinforce its defense capabilities, in light of the growing terrorist threat in the region.

Avnon Group, an Israeli firm specializing in security, has sold drone defense systems to Morocco and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and wishes to expand security partnerships with Morocco and other normalizing Arab countries.

Morocco has bought drones from several countries such as China, Turkey, France and Israel, constituting a veritable fleet, among the most developed in North Africa.

With the support of Tel Aviv, these drones will be manufactured at a lower cost at two military bases in Morocco.

According to Israeli military sources, the war drones, which will be manufactured in Morocco within months, will serve surveillance missions, remote collecting of intelligence and participation in battlefield.

“It’s a new playground,” the group’s Chief Marketing Officer and Board Director Stacy Dotan told WSJ, explaining that since the Abraham Accords, Arab countries have increasingly turned to Israel for its air defense system expertise.

Dotan told WSJ that the Israeli firm continues to carry out “discreet” deals with Arab partners, in an attempt to counter Iranian threats and hegemony in the region.

Leaders from Abraham accord signatories say they are trying to keep the security deals out of the public glare so as not to openly antagonize Iran, which has threatened to attack its Gulf neighbors if they work too closely with Israel.

Avnon previously sold air defense system Skylock, a counter drone attack technology, to Morocco and the UAE.

Air defense systems are “in great demand in the UAE and Saudi Arabia,” reports WSJ, adding that “Israeli security officials say they have had more than 150 meetings with counterparts in Bahrain, Morocco and the UAE since the accords were signed” two years ago.

The new cooperation however, has its limits, as Israeli officials told the outlet that “there are still tight constrictions on what Israel will sell to its Gulf neighbors.”

The focus now, they said, is on selling air defenses. Israeli government approval to sell advanced offensive weapons is unlikely to come any time soon, reports WSJ.

Quoting Dotan, the report explains that this partnership is eyeing the long-term.

“You’re not looking to go in and sell everything all at once. You’re building up a relationship with your local partner. Once you’ve done a couple of small projects, they know they can trust you.”