What Defense Systems Does Morocco Buy From Turkey?

Morocco has become one of Turkey’s most active defense customers in North Africa. The Royal Armed Forces (FAR) operate 13 Bayraktar TB2 combat drones bought in a $70 million deal signed in 2021, and took delivery of Bayraktar AKINCI unmanned aircraft in February 2025 under a follow-on agreement. Rabat also ordered 200 Otokar Cobra II armored vehicles for roughly $136 million in 2024, and Baykar is building a drone assembly and maintenance plant, Atlas Defence, in Benslimane, near Casablanca. Talks on additional naval and electronic systems are ongoing but unconfirmed as contracts.

Table of Contents

• Bayraktar TB2: Morocco’s First Turkish Drones
• Bayraktar AKINCI: The Second Generation
• Atlas Defence: A Baykar Factory in Benslimane
• Otokar Cobra II: 200 Armored Vehicles
• What Is Still Just Talk: Naval Systems and Other Deals
• Summary Table: Confirmed vs. Reported Deals
• Why Morocco Is Buying Turkish
• FAQ
• Sources

Bayraktar TB2: Morocco’s First Turkish Drones

Morocco’s relationship with Turkish drone maker Baykar began in April 2021, when the Royal Armed Forces signed a contract for 13 Bayraktar TB2 armed unmanned aerial vehicles, four ground control stations, a training simulator, and a data management system, reportedly worth around $70 million. Deliveries started later that year, and Baykar’s own leadership has since confirmed the handover of the TB2 fleet, most recently in reporting picked up by Morocco World News in January 2025.

The TB2 gave the FAR a persistent intelligence, surveillance, and strike capability it previously lacked, particularly useful for monitoring Morocco’s long desert borders and the Western Sahara buffer zone. Morocco was one of the earlier African and MENA customers for the platform, joining a growing list of Bayraktar TB2 operators that by 2026 spans well over two dozen countries worldwide.

Bayraktar AKINCI: The Second Generation

Morocco moved to acquire Baykar’s larger, higher-altitude Bayraktar AKINCI platform under an agreement reported in 2023. According to Military Africa and The Defense Post, the first AKINCI airframes were physically delivered to Morocco in February 2025, making the FAR one of the platform’s confirmed export operators alongside Turkey’s own armed forces. Public reporting has not disclosed the exact number of AKINCI units covered by the deal or its contract value, so those figures should be treated as not publicly disclosed rather than assumed.

The AKINCI carries a heavier payload and flies longer-range missions than the TB2, and it is compatible with more capable air-to-surface munitions and MAM-series smart microwave weapons. For a side-by-side look at how AKINCI compares with a competing Western high-altitude platform, see our AKINCI vs. MQ-9B SkyGuardian comparison.

Atlas Defence: A Baykar Factory in Benslimane

Beyond buying finished drones, Morocco negotiated local production rights. Under a strategic agreement signed in December 2024, Baykar established a Moroccan subsidiary, Atlas Defence, based in Rabat with a declared capital of 2.5 million dirhams. The plant itself is being built in Benslimane, about 50 kilometers southeast of Casablanca and close to a Royal Air Force logistics base, and is intended for the design, assembly, and maintenance of drones plus production of spare parts and related electronic systems.

As of early 2026, Moroccan outlets including Morocco World News and The North Africa Post reported that Atlas Defence had begun recruiting specialist staff ahead of the facility becoming operational later in 2026. This mirrors a broader pattern of Turkish drone-industry localization across African partner markets, where technology transfer and in-country assembly are increasingly part of the sales pitch alongside the hardware itself.

Otokar Cobra II: 200 Armored Vehicles

On the land systems side, Otokar announced in December 2023 that the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces had ordered 200 Cobra II tactical armored vehicles in a deal worth approximately $136 million, covering the vehicles themselves, spare parts, maintenance support, and operator training. Deliveries were scheduled to run from late 2024 into 2025.

The Cobra II is a 4×4 wheeled vehicle used for internal security, border protection, reconnaissance, and peacekeeping roles; Morocco has said around 20 of its units will be deployed with Moroccan contingents in United Nations peacekeeping operations. For more on the vehicle’s design and other export customers, see our Cobra II deliveries explainer. No public reporting has confirmed a parallel Moroccan order for Turkish tracked platforms such as FNSS’s PARS or ACV families, so those should not be assumed to be part of the FAR inventory.

What Is Still Just Talk: Naval Systems and Other Deals

Not every reported contact between Rabat and Turkish defense firms has turned into a contract. Turkish naval systems company Emtekno sent a delegation to Morocco to present integrated naval systems to the Royal Navy and discuss technology transfer and co-development, but this is publicly documented as exploratory talks, not a confirmed order. Similarly, occasional reports of Moroccan interest in Turkish electronic warfare, radar, or missile systems from firms such as ASELSAN or Roketsan have not been matched by an announced contract as of this writing; where a deal is not confirmed, this article treats it as reported interest only, not as an acquisition.

Summary Table: Confirmed vs. Reported Deals

Approximate value note: contract values above are reported in US dollars by the original sources. At the September 2026 exchange rate of roughly 1 USD ≈ 9.4 MAD, the Cobra II deal equates to about 1.28 billion Moroccan dirhams and the TB2 deal to about 660 million dirhams; these dirham figures are for context only and were not the currency used in the original contracts.

Why Morocco Is Buying Turkish

Morocco’s shift toward Turkish suppliers fits a wider pattern across Africa’s fastest-modernizing militaries: Turkish systems are generally delivered faster than comparable Western equipment, come with fewer end-use restrictions, and increasingly include local assembly or maintenance as part of the package, as seen with the Benslimane plant. None of this means Turkish equipment is simply “better” than the Chinese, American, or European systems Morocco also operates — the FAR runs a mixed inventory that includes American F-16s and French- and Israeli-made systems as well. For a broader look at how African buyers weigh Turkish and Chinese drones against each other, see our Turkish vs. Chinese drones in Africa analysis, and for how Morocco’s overall force compares with a regional rival, see Morocco vs. Algeria: Military Power Compared.

FAQ

Does Morocco operate Bayraktar TB2 drones?
Yes. The Royal Armed Forces ordered 13 Bayraktar TB2 drones from Baykar in 2021 for about $70 million, and deliveries were confirmed complete by 2025.

Has Morocco received Bayraktar AKINCI drones?
Yes. Morocco took delivery of its first Bayraktar AKINCI aircraft in February 2025, under an agreement reported in 2023. The exact number of units and contract value have not been made public.

Is Turkey building a drone factory in Morocco?
Yes. Baykar’s Moroccan subsidiary, Atlas Defence, is building a drone assembly and maintenance facility in Benslimane, near Casablanca, under a December 2024 agreement. The plant began hiring specialist staff in 2026.

How many Turkish armored vehicles has Morocco ordered?
Morocco ordered 200 Otokar Cobra II 4×4 armored vehicles in December 2023 for roughly $136 million, with deliveries running from late 2024 into 2025. About 20 units are earmarked for Moroccan UN peacekeeping contingents.

Does Morocco use Turkish naval or air defense systems?
Not confirmed as of September 2026. Turkish naval systems firm Emtekno has held talks with Morocco’s Royal Navy, and there is periodic reporting of interest in other Turkish electronic systems, but no contract for these has been publicly announced.

Sources

• The Defense Post — “Morocco to Receive 13 Bayraktar TB2 Combat Drones From Turkey” (2021)
• Daily Sabah — “Morocco receives 1st Turkish Bayraktar TB2 delivery: Reports”
• Morocco World News — “Military Armaments: Turkish Defense Firm Confirms Delivery of Bayraktar TB2 Drones to Morocco” (January 2025)
• Military Africa — “Morocco receives Turkish Bayraktar Akinci Drones” (February 2025)
• The Defense Post — “Morocco Receives First Turkish Bayraktar Akinci Drones” (February 2025)
• The Defense Post — “Morocco to Acquire 200 Armored Vehicles From Turkey” (January 2024)
• Military Africa — “Morocco buys 200 Cobra II tactical armoured vehicles from Turkey” (2024)
• Overt Defense — “Morocco Orders 200 Cobra II Armored Vehicles From Otokar” (2024)
• Yabiladi — “Military Aerospace: Baykar’s factory in Morocco begins initial hiring”
• Morocco World News — “Turkish Baykar Begins Recruiting for Benslimane Drone Facility” (February 2026)
• The North Africa Post — “Defense Industry: Baykar Starts Recruiting for its Drone Factory in Morocco”
• Army Recognition — “Baykar Sets Up Strategic Drone Maintenance Hub in Morocco Expanding African Reach” (2025)
• The Arab Weekly — “Morocco begins arms industry cooperation with Turkey”
• The Defense Post — “Turkey, Morocco Begin Expanded Arms Collaboration” (January 2025)

Last updated: September 16, 2026.

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