Spain is feeling pressure as its region’s air dynamics may shift due to the French transfer of 30 Mirage 2000-9 fighter jets from the United Arab Emirates to Morocco, following successful negotiations between France and Morocco.
Labeled ‘Bad News for Spain’ by La Razón, the Spanish opinion expressed similar concern as “El Español,” another Spanish newspaper that highlighted that the delivery of Mirage jets to Morocco would provide a substantial boost to the Moroccan Air Force, potentially reshaping the balance of power in the region, a matter that Madrid should pay close attention to despite the exemplary ties between both neighboring Kingdoms.
The initial obstacle to the transfer came from a sales agreement forged between Abu Dhabi and Paris back in 1998, which stated that France must authorize any subsequent transfer of these aircraft to a third party and can impose regulations being the manufacturing country.
France’s initial idea was to repurchase Emirati Mirage 2000-9 planes for potential donation to Ukraine, in support of the country’s conflict against Russia.
However, the UAE expressed a preference to offload a portion of its Mirage 2000-9 fleet, with 30 designated for Morocco and others for Egypt, for both countries to address regional concerns, particularly in light of Morocco’s recent skirmishes.
The transfer was approved following diplomatic discussions between the Moroccan and French foreign affairs ministers.
The Dassault Mirage 2000-9 was built as an update to the Mirage 2000-5, providing enhanced air-to-ground capabilities, since the earlier version was primarily used for air-to-air combat. Initially, the Mirage 2000-9 was designed for the United Arab Emirates to meet their military needs.
These aircraft are equipped with the RDY-2 radar and electronic countermeasures similar to the ICMS 3 system, they also come with the Shehab laser designation pod and the Nahar navigation pod, but more importantly, the Mirage 2000-9 comes with the Black Shaheen cruise missile, a variant of the Apache, and the MBDA PGM-500 “Hakim” guided bomb
The Mirage 2000-9 jets are considered a great addition to the Moroccan Royal Airforce collection, to ensure stability, and diversify the Moroccan military assets. Currently, the Moroccan Royal Air Force operates Mirage F-1, F-5, and F-16C/D squadrons.
Morocco has also agreed to acquire the latest F-16 Block 70 variant, as an interim solution until the country transitions to fifth-generation fighters like the F-35, developed by Lockheed Martin, to become the first African country to do so, as part of the country’s efforts to enhance its areal prowess.
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