The countdown is on for the Marrakech Air Show (MAS) 2026, Africa’s leading international platform for aerospace, defense and space innovation, with organizers expecting some 300 sector experts and official delegations alongside the world’s leading exhibitors, Aujourd’hui le Maroc reported. Set for October 7 to 10 at Marrakech’s air base, the biennial event is again drawing major global names as Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces pursue an ambitious modernization program.
American producer L3Harris will be one of the show’s main sponsors, a company well acquainted with the Moroccan market as a Royal Air Force partner; a second C-130H recently arrived at Waco airport as part of the transport fleet modernization program under a technical partnership announced in summer 2025. L3Harris previously served as prime contractor upgrading the US Air Force’s own C-130H fleet avionics to improve mission reliability and reduce pilot workload.
Other exhibitors include Bell, another company familiar with the Moroccan market as a helicopter supplier to the Royal Navy, alongside Italian manufacturer Leonardo, a major international aerospace and space group, and MBDA, Europe’s leading missile-systems designer, jointly owned by Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.
Global leader Safran is also expected, following its major 2025 investment announcement in Morocco. Its Safran Aircraft Engine Services Casablanca site, launched in October 2025 following an announcement during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Rabat, will support the fast-growing fleet of CFM International LEAP engines equipping new-generation Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737MAX aircraft, with the 25,000-square-metre facility set to become operational in 2027 with capacity for 150 engines a year and 600 jobs by 2030, an investment of around €120 million. Safran also chose Morocco for a new LEAP-1A assembly line, a 13,000-square-metre site operational from late 2027 with capacity for 350 engines a year, generating 300 jobs and an investment of about €200 million.
Organizers describe MAS 2026 as a strategic lever to strengthen industrial integration and modernize local capabilities, offering a two-part experience combining a static exhibition of military and civilian aircraft with an indoor showcase bringing together global and local industry leaders.
The 2026 edition marks a new era for Morocco’s aerospace ecosystem, now home to more than 150 internationally recognized companies, with emphasis on industrial sovereignty, advanced defense systems, artificial intelligence and satellite technologies.