U.S. Defense Department Approves TOW Missiles Sales to Morocco

The U.S. Department of Defense approved the sale of TOW 2A missiles to Morocco for a total cost of $108 million.

The deal was cleared by the department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency to sell Morocco the TOW anti-tank missiles as part of the Kingdom’s modernization of its ground forces with the acquisition of cutting-edge armament.

The pending sale includes 1,200 TOW 2A RF missiles and 14 TOW 2A fly-to-buy acceptance missiles. It also includes engineering, technical, and logistics support services.

The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency says, if approved by Congress, the sale will advance U.S. security interests abroad by arming a major non-NATO ally and promoting political and economic stability in North Africa.

Designed by the Raytheon, the TOW (Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided) missile systems are instrumental in engaging armored targets on the battlefield. All variants of the weapon can be fired from all TOW system launchers, including Stryker anti-tank guided missile vehicles.

Including the Moroccan deal, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency approved $7.9 billion worth of sales to Middle Eastern allies. The sales include over $3.5 billion for CH-47F Chinook Cargo Helicopters to Saudi Arabia, and an additional $3.5 billion for Apache AH-64E Helicopters to the UAE.