Morocco: a pioneer in drone manufacturing in Africa and the Middle East

An Israeli Hermes 900 drone - AFP/ JALAA MAREY
The war in Ukraine and the outbreak of the Gaza conflict have placed the North African nation in a strategic position
  1. ¿Cómo funciona el dron SpyX? 
  2. ¿Cuál es el alcance real de las relaciones de Marruecos e Israel? 

According to information from I24News, Morocco has managed to become, only after Israel, the most advanced country in the North Africa and Middle East (MENA) region with regard to drone manufacturing. 

The company that has facilitated the Alawi nation's entry into the exclusive club of drone-producing countries is the Israeli company BlueBird Aero Systems, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries, a company with which the Royal Moroccan Navy (FAR) has already signed agreements. 

Israel's defence industry is a pioneer in the design, development and manufacture of reconnaissance and attack drones. IAI manufactures different families of them, one of which is the Heron - PHOTO/IAI

The latest of these commitments was the testing of the new Israeli suicide drone, SpyX, on Moroccan soil. The operation was described as successful. As can be seen on the BlueBird website, the FAR already has state-of-the-art Israeli equipment and, from 2023, the SpyX drone. 

How does the SpyX drone work?

The SpyX drone is designed for reconnaissance and strike missions. Its main features are long range and excellent autonomy. The SpyX kamikaze drone has a range of 50 km and a flight time of 90 minutes. 

The explosive weight is 2.5 kg and the total weight is up to 10 kg. To fly, the SpyX drone is launched from a rail mounted on the vehicle. The manufacturer describes the 2-metre long and 1.4-metre wide drone as precise, advanced and easy to deploy by small groups. Finally, the device is equipped with a 100 per cent electric motor. 

According to the two documents published by El Español newspaper, the range and autonomy of the target detection system, in addition to the dual solar/thermal sensors, provide several operational advantages. 

The aircraft reaches enemies or targets at 250 kilometres per hour and can be transported and deployed by two soldiers. BlueBird Aero Systems' products are used in a wide range of fields, including military intelligence gathering, border security and surveillance, environmental monitoring and agriculture.  

Image of a drone - AFP/ISAAC BREKKEN

Israeli media first reported the appearance of these drones in Morocco in June 2023, when the FAR tested and then purchased them in large numbers, becoming the first military force to integrate such drones since their introduction by BlueBird. 

What is the real extent of Morocco-Israel relations?

According to El Español and I24News, Morocco ordered 150 WanderB and ThunderB drones from BlueBird in September 2022. In March, Rabat ordered two Ofec-13 reconnaissance satellites from Israel to strengthen and improve its surveillance and intelligence capabilities.

Israel has become one of Morocco's main arms suppliers, with 11% of Israeli arms going to Morocco, according to the latest annual report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). 

Morocco considers it a religious and fraternal duty to maintain relations with Israel and to support Palestine for the country's territorial integrity and economic development. Both sides have repeatedly stated that Israeli recognition does not affect Morocco's 'principle' of supporting a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip provided evidence of this, with King Mohammed VI ordering an emergency humanitarian aid package comprising 30 tonnes of basic foodstuffs and 10 tonnes of medicines and emergency blankets for Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.