Benslimane, Morocco hosts a BlueBird SpyX drone plant that Globes reported inaugurated in 2025. See what it builds, how it started and why Morocco backed it.
BlueBird Aero Systems, 50% owned by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), inaugurated a plant in Benslimane, Morocco in November 2025 to manufacture the SpyX loitering munition, according to Globes. Globes, citing Defense Post, calls it the first facility of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa outside Israel. A technology-transfer program trains Moroccan engineers to assemble and sustain the munition locally.
What does the Benslimane plant build?
The Benslimane plant builds the SpyX loitering munition, a small attack drone that circles an area and dives onto a chosen target. Globes reported the inauguration on November 16, 2025, and IAI has owned 50% of BlueBird since 2020. Reports differ on timing: Military Africa wrote on November 19 that Morocco had formally started the industrial phase as a precursor to opening the plant.
| SpyX specification | Reported figure |
|---|---|
| Strike distance | Up to 50 kilometers, per Defense Post |
| Warhead | 2.5 kilograms, per Globes |
| Speed | Up to 250 kilometers per hour, per Globes |
| Endurance | About 90 minutes per Globes, and up to about two hours per Le Desk |
| Intended targets | Tanks, armored vehicles and troop concentrations, per Defense Post |
Military Africa reports that BlueBird hosted a Moroccan technical team for intensive training before the plant opened. Defense Post says Moroccan forces tested SpyX in March 2024. Globes cites Morocco's earlier use of BlueBird's WanderB and ThunderB drones.
How did the Benslimane plant come about?
The plant followed a series of Israel-Morocco defense steps that began with a cooperation agreement signed in Rabat in November 2021, according to Yabiladi. Military Africa calls the plant the tangible output of that pact.
| Date | Step |
|---|---|
| 2020 | IAI buys 50% of BlueBird, per Globes |
| November 2021 | Morocco and Israel sign a defense cooperation agreement in Rabat |
| February 2022 | IAI Barak MX deal signed, per Morocco World News |
| May 22, 2023 | IAI and the International University of Rabat sign an MoU for an aeronautics and AI center |
| June 2023 | Israel's liaison office head says Elbit will open two Moroccan sites |
| July 17, 2023 | Israel announces it recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and appoints its first military attache to Morocco |
| March 2024 | Moroccan forces test SpyX, per Defense Post |
| November 2025 | Globes reports the Benslimane plant inaugurated |
Why is Morocco building a defense industry?
Morocco is pursuing local production alongside its imports, and the Defense Post reports a 2026 defense budget of about $15.7 billion. The same report says Morocco has launched drone production hubs with Baykar of Turkey and Tata Advanced Systems of India, and has expanded US purchases such as Abrams tank support.
The US approved a possible $524.2 million sale of 18 HIMARS launchers to Morocco, according to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency notice published in the Federal Register. In March 2026, Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of US Army Europe and Africa, announced plans for a regional drone training center in Morocco, and Stars and Stripes reports the timing is not yet clear.
How does the Algeria rivalry shape these purchases?
The rivalry with Algeria is the main driver of Morocco's arms buying, according to SIPRI, and the Western Sahara dispute is the flashpoint. SIPRI's 2021 to 2025 data ranks Israel second among Morocco's arms suppliers at 24% of imports, behind the United States at 60%, as Morocco World News reported.
Calcalist cites estimates that Israeli defense exports to Morocco have passed $2 billion since 2020. The Israel-Morocco defense corridor page lists the systems behind that estimate, including Elbit's ATMOS and PULS and IAI's Barak MX and Ofek 13.
What does the Benslimane plant change?
The Benslimane plant moves part of the Israel-Morocco trade from export licensing toward local production. No source reviewed reports a SpyX export from Benslimane, so any role as an export hub for other countries is speculation.
Two things are worth watching: the opening of Elbit's planned Moroccan sites, and any contract for Elbit's Delilah cruise missile, which Military Africa reported talks about in 2022. Delilah is an Elbit product. The newest Moroccan development is IAI's reported LORA missile talks, covered in IAI nears LORA missile deal with Morocco, and IAI's wider Moroccan book is in IAI in Morocco.
How we report: Olam stories draw on public filings, company disclosures and named sources, checked by our editors. Read our methodology · Corrections
