Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces have signed a deal with a Moroccan startup to produce 500 “kamikaze drones,” as Rabat accelerates efforts to reduce dependence on foreign military suppliers and build a domestic defense manufacturing base focused on advanced and unmanned technologies.
According to a report by Africa Intelligence reviewed by Assahifa, the agreement involves the Moroccan company “Aerodrive Engineering Services” (AES), which secured its first official contract with the Moroccan military to supply what are known as loitering munitions, or “suicide drones.”
The report said the decision to proceed with the deal was taken in recent weeks by Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces General Mohammed Berrid, while the agreement was signed with AES founder Sofiane Amkoui, an engineer who graduated from Mohammed VI Polytechnic University.
According to the same source, the agreement goes beyond the acquisition of drones and includes a key condition imposed by Moroccan authorities requiring the establishment of a local production plant in the Benslimane area, located between Rabat and Casablanca, in a move aimed at anchoring a Moroccan defense industry linked to this type of military technology.
The report added that the new factory is expected to become operational in 2027, joining a growing number of military and industrial projects being developed in the same region, which has increasingly emerged as a hub for drone-related defense industries and military surveillance systems.
The Moroccan move comes amid a global surge in the use of loitering munitions and kamikaze drones in armed conflicts, particularly following the prominent role played by such systems in the Russia-Ukraine war and in ongoing confrontations in the Middle East involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.
In this context, the report noted that Iran has become one of the leading producers of this category of drones, with manufacturing capacities estimated at tens of thousands of units per month, turning kamikaze drones into a decisive component of modern warfare.
In Morocco’s case, the development of the sector is also tied to security and strategic considerations linked to border protection and surveillance operations in the Sahara, where the Royal Armed Forces have increasingly relied on drones for reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions.
The report pointed out that the new agreement was not the first cooperation between the Moroccan military and AES. In 2024, the company signed a deal with the Ministry of Industry and the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises to produce 1,000 “Atlas ISTAR” drones designed for military surveillance and intelligence collection.
As with the latest contract, Moroccan authorities required the creation of a local production unit, this time in Benguerir, where the group launched its first factory in Morocco during the same year. Drones produced at the Benguerir facility are mainly used for border surveillance, particularly in the southern provinces, where they are deployed to monitor Polisario Front movements and gather field intelligence for the Royal Armed Forces.
However, the Moroccan startup will not remain alone in the country’s expanding defense market, according to the report, as major international players are also seeking to position themselves in Morocco, especially in the Benslimane region, which has become a focal point for military investments linked to drone manufacturing.
In this regard, Turkish defense company Baykar, manufacturer of the Bayraktar combat drones, opened a branch in Morocco in 2025 under the name “Atlas Defense,” alongside plans to invest up to $250 million to establish its first production facility in Africa.
Israeli company BlueBird Aero Systems, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries, also entered the competition by launching a drone production factory in Benslimane in late 2025, following delays linked to the Gaza war and the repercussions of the October 7 attacks.
Meanwhile, French company Delair is preparing to establish a branch in Rabat to provide technical maintenance services to its African clients, reflecting intensifying international competition over Morocco’s emerging defense market.
