Morocco’s National Defense Administration and French defense technology company Harmattan AI signed a letter of intent for the joint development of IRIFI, a sovereign Moroccan autonomous deep-strike system.
The agreement was formalized during the opening of the Marrakech Air Show in the presence of Minister Delegate Abdeltif Loudyi, General Mohammed Berrid, Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces and Commander of the Southern Zone, Harmattan AI CEO Mouad M’Ghari, and Amir Benmahjoub, general manager of Harmattan AI Morocco, along with senior defense and military officials.
IRIFI is designed as a long-range autonomous drone capable of conducting deep-strike missions at distances of up to 2,000 kilometers, according to a statement.
Commanders designate authorized targets and set mission parameters before launch. Once approved and airborne, the system executes the mission autonomously within those boundaries, relying on a GNSS-independent navigation system and optical terminal guidance that allow it to operate even during low-altitude flight and in environments where communications or satellite navigation are disrupted.
The program places particular emphasis on sovereignty. Critical technological components will be developed and produced in Morocco, primarily by Moroccan talent, as part of a broader effort to expand the Kingdom’s defense industrial and technological base, Harmatan Ai said.
The initiative builds on a strategic partnership signed in June 2026 between Harmattan AI, the National Defense Administration and the Royal Armed Forces.
