Defense: Morocco & Israel

Morocco is said to have received and put into service the first Barak MX anti-missile systems, capable of shooting down any plane or missile within a radius of 150 kilometers. They are manufactured by the Israeli IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries). It is the same company that, according to several sources, will supply weapons of this type for the European anti-missile shield project, promoted by Germany.

So far, Morocco has invested up to 500 million dollars in this new anti-missile system capable of shooting down any enemy plane or missile at distances of 150 kilometers, according to the same sources. It could be a “dome” of protection that would reach a significant part of southern Spain, it said.
It is a system with a great capacity for movement that allows the operator to defend a specific area against threats from the air. But by equipping ships, as the Indian Navy has done with the Barak MX. It can accommodate the use of radars capable of detecting a target at distances of 470 kilometers.

If the reception of the systems was made only recently, the purchase had been acted in February 2022, as part of the strategic agreement of collaboration in defense, signed in 2021 by Tel Aviv and Rabat. This historic agreement, agreed between the two parties in exchange for the express recognition of the State of Israel, allows Morocco to access high-tech weapons manufactured in Israel.

Thanks to this strategic pact, Morocco has been able to access technologies such as the Heron or Hermes 900 drones, Harop suicide drones, or a group of anti-tank missiles Spike, says the same source. The Barak Battle Management Center (BMC) creates and manages a unified multi-sensor aerial picture, coordinates operations networks and manages mobile launch networks, performing all missions in motion.

Barak Interceptors feature vertical launch capabilities supporting 360° coverage, rapid response, short minimum ranges and a high-end active RF seeker for low radar cross-section and high maneuverability targets: BARAK MRAD features a single pulse rocket motor for a range of 35 km; BARAK LRAD, a dual pulse rocket motor for a range of 70 km and IAI’s ELM 2138 mobile “Detect on the Move” radar.