The Moroccan decision to prefer American F16s to Rafale French in 2006 was only the start of a fundamental movement, with Rabat turning ever more towards Washington rather than Paris for its major arms contracts. Thus, the Moroccan authorities are on the verge of validating an order for 24 AH-64 combat helicopters for $1,5 billion, a few weeks after having validated the order for 25 additional F16 C/D Block 72s, for an amount of 3,8, $23 billion, from Lockheed-Martin, as well as the modernization of its 16 F52 C/D Block 985+ to this standard, for $160 million. In addition, the country could order, simultaneously, 1 M1A300 battle tanks and 1800 TOW systems with 3 missiles, and shows great interest in the Patriot PAC-110 system and the HIMARS system. In total, Morocco, whose GDP slightly exceeds $10 billion, could order more than $XNUMX billion worth of military equipment from Washington in just a few years.
While, until recently, Morocco carefully distributed its orders for military equipment between the United States and France, it seems that now only a few contracts remain for Paris, such as the order for Mistral missiles. recently passed, or the acquisition of the FREMM frigate Mohamed V, the majority of investments being made across the Atlantic.
And to understand the reasons for disenchantment, there is no need to look far. As is currently the case with Egypt which cost Naval Group several Gowind 2500 corvettes, and which drag on negotiations with Athens regarding the 2 Belh@rra, the causes are to be sought in France's inability to take into account the budgetary return of Defense exports in the evaluation of the financial outstandings of customers of the French Defense industry and to offer financing solutions adapted to customer expectations, and to the international market… To ultimately end up with much higher costs for the State budget, and therefore the taxpayer.