Israel-Morocco defense sales top an estimated $2 billion since 2020, per Calcalist. See what Elbit, IAI and Rafael sold and where SIPRI ranks Israel today.
Israeli defense exports to Morocco have passed an estimated $2 billion since 2020, according to estimates cited by Calcalist's CTech report. Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Rafael all sell to Rabat. SIPRI, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, ranks Israel Morocco's second-largest arms supplier at 24% of imports for 2021 to 2025.
Which Israeli companies sell weapons to Morocco?
Three Israeli companies supply Morocco: Elbit Systems, IAI and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. The table lists each reported system and who reported it, because several contracts were announced without naming the customer.
| Company | System | What was reported |
|---|---|---|
| Elbit Systems | ATMOS 2000 howitzers | La Tribune reported on February 8, 2025 that Elbit won a contract for 36 units, replacing French CAESAR guns that had suffered technical failures. Barlamane estimated the order at about 175 million euros. |
| Elbit Systems | PULS rocket launcher | Elbit announced a $150 million PULS contract with an unnamed international customer in July 2023, and Moroccan media identify Morocco as the buyer. Globes cites an August 2025 test of the EXTRA guided rocket in southeast Morocco. |
| Elbit Systems | Alinet electronic warfare and signals intelligence | Elbit announced a contract of about $70 million with an unnamed international customer in June 2022, and Military Africa identified Morocco. |
| Elbit Systems | Hermes drones | Globes cites four Hermes UAVs in Moroccan service. |
| Elbit Systems | Delilah cruise missile | Military Africa reported talks in 2022 to arm Morocco's F-5 fighters with Delilah. No contract is confirmed in the reports reviewed. Delilah is an Elbit product. |
| Elbit Systems | Planned Moroccan sites | Shai Cohen, head of Israel's liaison office in Rabat, said in June 2023 that Elbit would open two sites in Morocco, one in the Casablanca region. |
| IAI | Barak MX air defense | Morocco World News reports a $500 million deal signed in February 2022, and Globes reports $540 million. First shipments were reported from mid-2023. |
| IAI | Ofek 13 satellites | IAI announced a $1 billion, five-year deal with an unnamed customer in July 2024. Foreign media identify it as two Ofek 13 satellites for Morocco, and Globes says Morocco preferred them to satellites from Airbus and Thales. |
| IAI | Heron UAVs | Globes cites three Heron 1 drones delivered under a $48 million deal signed in 2014. |
| IAI | Harop and Harpy loitering munitions | Globes cites Harop systems in Moroccan service. Medias24 reported in September 2025, citing Israeli media, that Morocco was negotiating for 200 to 300 Harop and Harpy units at an estimated $120 million. |
| IAI and BlueBird | VTOL drones and SpyX | Globes cites about 150 BlueBird WanderB, ThunderB and SpyX aircraft in Moroccan hands. BlueBird's Benslimane plant is covered below. |
| Rafael | Spyder air defense | Morocco World News reports a 2023 sale, and Calcalist says Moroccan media reported its deployment this year. |
How does Israel rank among Morocco's arms suppliers?
SIPRI's 2021 to 2025 data ranks Israel second among Morocco's arms suppliers at 24% of imports, behind the United States at 60% and ahead of France at 10%, as Morocco World News reported on March 9, 2026. That is up from third place at 11% in SIPRI's 2019 to 2023 data, according to Globes.
France lost ground in two competitions that Globes and La Tribune describe. Morocco replaced its French CAESAR howitzers with Elbit's ATMOS after technical failures, and Globes says Morocco preferred IAI's Ofek 13 satellites to Airbus and Thales.
What agreements and events support the Israel-Morocco defense trade?
The trade rests on a defense cooperation agreement that Morocco and Israel signed in Rabat in November 2021, according to Yabiladi, and on export licenses from the Defense Ministry's Defense Exports Control Agency (DECA). The Abraham Accords Peace Institute reported that bilateral trade doubled in 2023 to $116.7 million from $56.2 million in 2022, and that the figure excludes cyber, software and defense deals.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| July 2024 | IAI announces a $1 billion, five-year deal with an unnamed customer, identified by foreign media as Ofek 13 satellites for Morocco |
| February 2025 | La Tribune reports Elbit's ATMOS win |
| November 2025 | Globes reports the inauguration of BlueBird's SpyX plant in Benslimane |
| September 2026 | Israel and Morocco agree to upgrade their missions to embassies, per Al Jazeera's AFP report |
| October 7 to 10, 2026 | Israel opens its first national pavilion at the Marrakech Air Show |
| October 8, 2026 | Calcalist reports IAI is nearing a LORA missile sale to Morocco |
Why does Morocco buy Israeli weapons?
Morocco buys Israeli weapons because of its arms race with Algeria, which SIPRI and Calcalist both cite. SIPRI reports that Morocco's arms imports rose 12% between 2016-20 and 2021-25 while Algeria's fell 78%. Calcalist points to Algeria's buildup with Russian and Chinese weapons and its support for the Polisario Front, which opposes Morocco in the Western Sahara dispute.
The Defense Post reports a Moroccan defense budget of about $15.7 billion for 2026. Israeli suppliers cover three areas for Rabat: air defense with Barak MX and Spyder, loitering munitions and drones, and electronic warfare with Elbit's Alinet.
Is Morocco building a defense industry?
Morocco is moving toward producing some systems locally, most visibly at BlueBird's SpyX plant in Benslimane, which Globes reported inaugurated in November 2025. Olam's Benslimane coverage details the plant. The Defense Post reports that Morocco also has drone production hubs with Baykar of Turkey and Tata Advanced Systems of India.
The United States announced in March 2026 that it plans a regional drone training center in Morocco, according to Stars and Stripes, which reports that the timing is not yet clear. Three developments would show how far local production goes: the opening of Elbit's Moroccan sites, any Delilah contract, and a SpyX sale to a non-Moroccan customer.
Morocco's civilian trade with Israel is far smaller than its defense purchases, and Abraham Accords trade corridors compares the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco corridors. The newest development is IAI's reported talks to sell LORA missiles, covered in IAI nears LORA missile deal with Morocco. Treat LORA as a reported negotiation until a contract is announced.
How we report: Olam stories draw on public filings, company disclosures and named sources, checked by our editors. Read our methodology · Corrections
