Morocco is currently working on upgrading two airbases located in Sidi Slimane and in Benguerir, in order to receive a new advanced squadron of F16 Block 72 consisting of 25 fighters, after signing a deal with the American manufacturer, Lockheed Martin.
According to media reports, during the year 2019 Morocco had signed a deal with the aforementioned American company amounting to 4.7 billion dollars, to obtain a new squadron of F16 fighters in order to strengthen its air fleet of these fighters, bringing the total to 48 fighters. Morocco currently has 23 fighters of this type.
The same sources added that this type of fighter is considered advanced and from the fourth generation of the F16, and Morocco will use it to monitor and protect its airspace, especially in the southern regions, in addition to strengthening the capabilities of the Moroccan army in the air force.
It is expected that Morocco will begin to receive fighters in the near future, especially since the ongoing preparation and modernization processes at the Moroccan air bases in Sidi Slimane and Benguerir have set a ceiling of less than 50 days to complete all preparation work to start receiving the fighters that Morocco agreed to obtain.
The preparations include the expansion of fighter landing sites, maintenance and control areas, in addition to storage areas for military equipment and others.
This deal is among a number of arms deals concluded by Morocco in recent years, in order to completely modernize its military arsenal, to keep pace with developments in military and war mechanisms, to face all challenges posed by regional tensions, in addition to security challenges related to terrorism.
According to international media reports, Morocco is seeking, in turn, to acquire American F-35 fighters, which are considered one of the most modern air fighters in the world, and few countries in the world have managed to obtain this type of advanced fighter, the last of which was Australia.
This Moroccan armament sequence comes in a very tense regional context, especially after the return of war skirmishes by the "Polisario" front in the Moroccan Sahara, and the tense relations with Algeria, in addition to diplomatic tensions, the latest of which was with the Spanish neighbor.
