Morocco and India conducted their first meeting of the Joint Defense Committee in New Delhi on September 8, the latest institutional move in a defense relationship that has moved well beyond routine military cooperation into the field of joint industrial production, according to India's Ministry of Defence.
The meeting was co-chaired by Brigadier General Abdellah Athmani, director of the Second Bureau, Morocco's Royal Armed Forces and Amitabh Prasad, joint secretary for international cooperation, in the Indian Ministry of Defence.
The two sides discussed training, peacekeeping operations, military exercises, medical cooperation, cyber defense and defense industries, and both agreed to further discuss co-production, joint ventures and technology cooperation.
The most straightforward sign of what that industrial cooperation already looks like in practice sits in Berrechid, on the outskirts of Casablanca, where India's Tata Advanced Systems opened its first overseas defense manufacturing facility in September 2025.
It is a manufacturer of the Wheeled Armoured Platform (WhAP), an 8x8 armoured vehicle developed by Tata and India's Defence Research and Development Organisation. The plant was set up in accordance with the investment agreement signed in September 2024 between Tata and Morocco's National Defense Administration.
Spanning an area of 20,000 square metres, the facility was made ready in three months, ahead of schedule, the Tribune India reported. The facility is expected to create 90 direct and 250 indirect jobs. It has production capabilities including welding bays, composite molding, and AI-powered quality controls, the Indian Defence News reported.
Morocco's National Defense Administration said that the factory would source 35 percent of components locally, increasing this percentage to 50 percent over time by investing in local suppliers. Tata delivered the first batch of WhAP vehicles to the Royal Armed Forces of Morocco in December 2025. The company tweeted, "Strengthening partnerships, delivering proven capability. Made in Morocco."
For India, the Berrechid plant is part of a larger effort to boost the reach of its defence exports. Defence exports from India grew by 78 percent to $2.6 billion in fiscal year 2024-2025, with Africa making up roughly a fifth of the total, reported Indian Defence News.
India's ambassador to Morocco, Sanjay Rana, has announced that the two countries are in advanced talks to deepen defense cooperation in areas beyond armored vehicles. He added that negotiations are underway on a joint project to manufacture a complete aircraft in Morocco. Rana stated that talks were part of a broader effort that also includes Indian investment in the pharmaceutical, automotive manufacturing and renewable energy sectors.
The deal with India is just one of a number of avenues through which Morocco has been expanding the base of its defense suppliers in recent years, as well as signing agreements with South Korean, American and European manufacturers as the North African nation upgrades its armed forces and diversifies beyond its traditional dependence on a small number of long-term partners.
The September 8 committee meeting was in continuation of the memorandum of understanding signed on the occasion of the visit of Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Morocco in September 2025, which established the institutional mechanism for regular bilateral defence dialogue. Officials on both sides have stated that they wish to continue expanding the cooperation ahead of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2027.
