U.S. and Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces enabled the first-ever live-fire demonstration leveraging the Africa Multidomain Training and Experimentation Center (AMTEC), assets to support a U.S. defense industry partner in testing long-range precision-strike capabilities as part of the U.S. Secretary of the Army’s Test Range Expansion Initiative, Aug. 3–7.
A press release issued by US Africa Command said the demonstration marked a major milestone in U.S.-Morocco defense cooperation, expanding opportunities to evaluate emerging capabilities in realistic conditions while accelerating the delivery of new technologies to the joint force.
“The vision is to establish AMTEC as a regional hub for innovation, strategic cooperation, and industrial development, as well as a center of excellence dedicated to the experimentation, validation, evaluation, and development of advanced technologies,” said Col. Zouhair El Hamdani, Royal Armed Forces officer in charge of coordination.
This first live-fire demonstration marks a significant milestone in turning that vision into reality. The move will continue to bolster the U.S.-Morocco strategic partnership by offering a dedicated space where military forces and defense industry partners can rapidly test, evaluate, and refine new capabilities.
By fostering this collaborative environment, AMTEC has cemented its role as a premier multinational center for experimentation, essential for accelerating capability development and maintaining a tactical edge against future threats.
“Morocco’s partnership provides a crucial venue that accelerates readiness for the U.S. joint force and our African partners,” said U.S. Air Force Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander of U.S. Africa Command. “AMTEC not only strengthens our security cooperation and drives innovation, it demonstrates that trusted partnerships are how we help tackle shared security challenges together”, underlined the U.S. General.
U.S. and Moroccan personnel established an expeditionary test site and conducted a single live fire demonstration, working alongside defense industry engineers and technicians to validate communications systems, assess maneuverability of wings, tires, and trolley components, and collect critical weather and targeting data. The event generated operational insights to inform future experimentation, capability development, and employment.
“The AMTEC live-fire demonstrates where multinational training is headed, integrating emerging technologies with partner forces in realistic operational environments,” said U.S. Army Col. Michael M. Gacheru, regional engagement division chief, U.S. Africa Command Strategy, Engagement and Programs Directorate.
“As AMTEC continues to evolve in Morocco, we’re expanding advanced training, strengthening interoperability and accelerating innovation alongside our African and international partners. Together, we’re building a more connected, more capable force prepared for tomorrow’s security challenges”, he added.
The event also demonstrated how AMTEC will support joint force modernization by connecting operational requirements with emerging technologies and providing defense industry partners access to testing environments that are difficult to replicate at U.S. ranges.
The live-fire event employed a low-cost, long-range cruise missile system designed to provide affordable, scalable precision-strike options while collecting operational performance data. By integrating a U.S. defense technology startup into the event, Morocco and AFRICOM demonstrated a model for rapidly connecting operational requirements with industry innovation.
Future experimentation will expand into long-range fires, autonomous systems, wireless communications and advanced sensing technologies, ensuring innovation translates rapidly into operational capability for the joint force.
