Turkey’s Baykar to produce military drones in Morocco, a momentum to Kingdom’s defense industry

Morocco’s defense industrial ecosystem is gaining momentum with Turkish Baykar Company strategic decision to establish a manufacturing site of military drones in the North African Kingdom.

Baykar, a global leader in drone industry, has set up a Moroccan subsidiary, named “Atlas Defence”, based in Rabat. The Moroccan plant is dedicated to the design, production, and maintenance of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), along with the manufacturing of spare parts and technological systems for the defense sector.

According to press reports, the new facility will enhance Baykar’s presence in the African UAV and UCAV market. Several African countries including Morocco, have acquired Turkish advanced military drones. In 2021, the Kingdom received the first batch of Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones, strengthening the Kingdom’s air power and deterrence capabilities.

By setting up a production factory in Morocco, the Turkish company will be able to deliver drones to its African clients quicker than its competitors. Furthermore, this new strategic milestone for Moroccan defense industry will enhance further Turkish-Moroccan relations, create job opportunities, and contribute to the growth of Moroccan economy.

Several defense companies from the U.S. Europe, Latin America and Asia have shown interests in the huge investment opportunities offered by Morocco looking forward to develop its military industry clusters building on its success in the automotive and aeronautics sectors.

In 2019, the North African Kingdom signed with Brazil an “investment cooperation and facilitation” in military industry. Under this agreement, Brazil pledges to share military science and technology, help in defense product acquisition and train Moroccan officers in advanced military technologies.

Israeli company Bluebird had also announced plans to open a production site of its unmanned aerial systems in Morocco. In September 2024, “TATA Advanced Systems” signed a strategic partnership agreement with Morocco’s National Defense Administration for the establishment of a plant in the Kingdom to produce armored combat vehicle WhAP 8×8 for the Moroccan army.

According to Frost & Sullivan group, a research and consulting firm, Morocco is set to become a weapons’ producing country in the few coming years as the country is set to host foreign factories specialized in arms manufacturing by 2025.