Aeronautics: Moroccan FAR’s Industrial Compensation Agreement with Boeing signed in Rabat

The signing ceremony of the industrial compensation agreement Morocco concluded with the American Aeronautics company Boeing was held Wednesday at the headquarters of the National Defense Administration in Rabat.

This industrial compensation agreement, which is part of the extension of the acquisition program of Apache helicopters, further illustrates the royal vision aimed at modernizing and strengthening the operational capabilities of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) as well as the emergence of a defense industry sector in Morocco, the National Defense Administration says in a statement.

The agreement provides for strengthening the autonomy of the Royal Air Force in terms of metrology, manufacturing and composite repair of various spare parts and superstructures, according to the most advanced aeronautical standards, says the statement.

The deal also reflects the two parties’ willingness to strengthen the existing partnership between Morocco and the American company Boeing through the implementation of joint strategic projects while promoting the emergence of a Defense Industrial and Technological Base in the Kingdom.

The agreement seeks to strengthen cooperation in the field of research and development and technology transfer through the qualification of Moroccan engineering offices of international standards in the aerospace sector as well as the realization, in partnership with the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University of Ben Guerir, of a research center for advanced additive manufacturing 4.0, the Defense Administration statement adds.

Also, and as an extension of the industrial memorandum of understanding, signed before King Mohammed VI, on September 27, 2016, for the creation in Morocco of an ecosystem of aeronautical equipment, the compensation agreement, concluded this Wednesday, provides for the realization by the Boeing Company, from qualified local manufacturers, of a volume of sourcing of spare parts of $150 million, contributing to the creation of jobs in Morocco and the economic revival of the national aeronautics sector, explains the statement.

The signing ceremony, held at the instructions of the King, was chaired by Abdeltif Loudyi, minister delegate in charge of the National Defense Administration, and was attended by Lieutenant General Belkhir El Farouk, Inspector General of FAR and Commander of the South Zone, , Commander of the Royal Gendarmerie, and other senior officials of FAR General Staff as well as representatives of the US Embassy in Rabat.

At the end of this ceremony, the members of the American delegation expressed their admiration for the impressive economic and social development level achieved by Morocco under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, making the Kingdom a dynamic and competitive partner, the statement states further.