Morocco hosts first Israeli suicide drone plant in North Africa
Israeli and Turkish drone plants in Benslimane turn Morocco into IMEC hub while deepening ties to Israel and heightening escalation risks for Algeria and Palestine.
Israel Aerospace Industries subsidiary BlueBird Aero Systems has opened a suicide drone production plant in Benslimane near Casablanca. The facility will build SpyX loitering munitions and is described as the first factory of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa outside Israel. Moroccan engineers will also be trained in local integration and maintenance, giving Rabat control over the full life cycle of a new class of weapons. The move fits a broader strategy to create a domestic defence industry rather than remain a pure importer.
Alongside the Israeli BlueBird plant, Morocco has agreed a major drone project with Turkish manufacturer Baykar in Benslimane. Baykar has created a Moroccan subsidiary called Atlas Defense to handle manufacturing, design and maintenance of combat drones and associated electronic, optical and mechanical systems for the Royal Armed Forces. Reports indicate that the factory will produce Bayraktar TB2 and Akinci platforms and is expected to be operational in 2026, with an initial focus on Moroccan requirements and future exports into African markets.
Rabat is therefore hosting parallel Israeli and Turkish drone facilities in the same Benslimane zone. The government presents these projects as part of a broader push for defence autonomy, local maintenance capacity and technology transfer in advanced unmanned systems. The plant opening follows Morocco’s expressed support for the Trump’s peace plan in Gaza.
Deepening Israeli Moroccan defence integration
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