Amir Peretz, the President of Israeli aerospace giant Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), visited Morocco last week to confirm Rabat’s purchase of a multifunctional reconnaissance satellite, Israeli outlet Calcasit reported on Tuesday.
The satellite, costing a whopping one billion dollars, will be delivered in five years, according to the report. The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange has been notified “of the entry into force” of this “giant” contract.
Israel and Morocco inked the deal at the end of 2023, and the satellite is intended to replace Morocco’s two Airbus satellites known as “Mohammed VI-A and Mohammed VI-B.”
With this latest purchase, Morocco intends to improve its military air, land, and sea defense capabilities.
In 2023, Morocco reportedly selected an Israeli group, either Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) or Elbit, to supply it with a new observation satellite, to replace Mohammed-VI A, launched in 2017.
Airbus Defense & Space and Thales Alenia Space (TAS), had both made bids, but lost, reportedly, when Rabat refused to deal with the French Procurement Agency (DGA) which was apparently pushing the French groups’ bids.
Thales and Airbus supplied Morocco with two Pleiades-type Earth observation and reconnaissance satellites (A and B) previously in 2013.