The event, which is set to be held between the 7th of October and the 10th, also marked the first time that Israel’s defense ministry debuted an Israeli national pavilion and headed a delegation of Israeli defense industries at the show.
Israel’s participation occurred amid restrictions and reduced participation imposed on Israel by France and several other Western allies following criticism regarding its conduct in the Gaza conflict, as seen in the Jerusalem Post.
The report says eight Israeli defense companies showcased advanced, combat-tested technologies at the Marrakesh Air Show, including loitering munitions, AI-enabled robotic systems, autonomous UAV navigation, laser-guided FPV drones, and satellite communications.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense pavilion was joined by the country’s three biggest defense firms, Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and Rafael.
Together, they displayed military technologies and systems covering air, land, maritime, space, intelligence, cybersecurity, and digital operations.
Defense partnership between Israel and Morocco
As mentioned earlier, Morocco and Israel strengthened their defense ties after both nations signed the Abraham Accords in 2020.
A separate report by the Jerusalem Post showed that a year after signing the accord, both countries inked an MoU surrounding arms deals, intelligence cooperation, and joint military projects.
Since then, they have enjoyed a budding military relationship that has survived even as countries like France push for more penetration into the Moroccan defense industry.
IAI inked a $1 billion space contract with Morocco, which was announced in 2024.
Although the customer was not named, Reuters reported that Moroccan media identified Morocco as the buyer of an Ofek 13 reconnaissance satellite, intended to replace the country’s existing satellites supplied by France’s Airbus and Thales.
Morocco is already a major market for IAI, which secured a $500 million contract to supply Rabat with the Barak MX air-defense system.
The system can fire three missile variants, covering ranges of up to 35, 70 and 150 kilometres.
The company has expanded its footprint further through BlueBird Aero Systems, its unmanned-systems subsidiary.
In 2025, BlueBird opened a facility in Benslimane to produce SpyX loitering munitions locally, giving Morocco a role in manufacturing Israeli drone technology.
The Benslimane facility will manufacture SpyX loitering munitions, lightweight drones built for precision strikes.
With a range of 50 kilometres, two hours of endurance and the capacity to carry warheads weighing up to 2.5 kilograms, the drones are designed to help tactical units identify and engage targets.
Morocco has also purchased Elbit Systems’ ATMOS howitzers and EXTRA precision-guided rockets, which have a range of up to 150 kilometres.
This year alone, Morocco and Israel signed a joint military cooperation plan for 2026 as they decided to bolster their already budding defense relationship.
The Abraham Accords
The Abraham Accords reshaped the Middle East in 2020 by bringing Israel closer to several Arab and Muslim-majority countries after years of limited or no formal relations.
Brokered by the United States, the agreements initially involved the UAE and Bahrain, with Morocco and Sudan later joining the normalisation process.
Beyond diplomacy, the accords opened new channels for trade, investment, tourism, technology and defense cooperation.
Morocco’s relationship with Israel has become particularly significant, with Rabat deepening military and technology ties with Israeli defense companies.
The accords remain controversial, however, particularly over concerns that normalisation has moved ahead without resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Source: africa.businessinsider.com
