❗️Israeli Elbit proxy to supply Moroccan army with armored vehicle turrets

Moroccan Military Industry (MMI), a subsidiary of Israeli 'defense' company Elbit Systems, will begin supplying armored vehicle turrets to the Moroccan army in March 2027, its general manager said.

MMI operates a weapons systems facility in the Midparc industrial zone near Casablanca, while a second facility in Sidi Yahya, north of Rabat, is being developed to produce medium- and large-calibre ammunition, General Manager Kaduri Naor told Reuters on the sidelines of the Marrakech Air Show.

The company has reached an agreement with Morocco's defense administration to manufacture turrets for 8x8 armored vehicles assembled in Morocco by India's Tata, along with associated ammunition, Naor said.

MMI is also developing an anti-drone variant of the turret as demand grows globally for more affordable defenses against unmanned aerial threats.

"The threat is very cheap ... defense systems are more expensive," he said, adding that MMI's solution was "cost-effective."

Ammunition for the anti-drone system will be manufactured in Morocco and fitted with a small radar designed to detect incoming drones and trigger an explosion that disperses tungsten fragments to destroy the target, he said.

MMI also plans to manufacture a vehicle-mounted self-propelled mortar system, Naor said.

The company intends to use Morocco as an export hub, he added. "We ⁠will have a European NATO country to export to," he said, declining to name the customer.