Morocco Set To Acquire Planes Specialized In Intelligence and e-War Because Of Algeria and Spain

The Moroccan newspaper “Hespéris” confirmed that Rabat is seeking to acquire four aircraft specialized in intelligence and e-war, American-made, with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates financing the deal.

According to the source, the deal is related to the Gulfstream G550 ELINT / ISR, which is specialized in two types of electronic intelligence known as ELIN: SIGINT, ie electronic intelligence, which means that it is capable of detecting and locating radars of all kinds, and COMMINT.

 This means that the latter is capable of detecting, identifying and tracking communications, with its ability to intercept unencrypted communications as well as weak encryption. 

The aircraft possesses large capabilities in ISR, via an electro-optical incubator with television and thermal cameras capable of tracking a small target 20 kilometers.

With the provision of ground radar detection, SAR is able to draw high-resolution maps, revealing the goal of the size of a tank of over 100 km in all weather conditions (sand storms, clouds, rain …).

“The first reason is that Algeria, also plans to contract four of the ISR’s MC-27 ISRs, that will give it great capabilities compared to neighboring countries, especially Morocco,” said Hespéris.

“It is more important, of course, than a war of leaks or declarations. It is particularly important to have the distinct military capabilities of intelligence and surveillance for integration with surveillance satellites, one of which was launched at the end of last year”, it added.

“Let’s go back to 2002 when Morocco sent a unit of the Royal Navy to the island of Leila. At that time, the military difference was clear between the Moroccan and Spanish armies. Spain used a joint military satellite with other European countries for surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft for the process of landing their own forces, which captured the Moroccan soldiers in a very easy way” … 

“During the operation, they used electronic warplanes, cut off communications between the Moroccan contingent and the Moroccan navy and the rest of the field military command in Hoceima, Nador and central Rabat, and thus here comes the role of these aircraft in securing the theater of operations during any landing Paratrooper or special forces operation to cut off communications and mystification of surveillance radars”.

“The second reason for the acquisition of these sophisticated aircraft is the neighboring countries of Morocco”, it further noted. 

Algeria already possesses eight S-300 PMU-2 long-range air defense battalions. Spain has a Patriot Air Defense Battery (PAC-2) which is also far-reaching”.

The report confirms that Morocco is unable to cope with Algeria, and that the success of the latter in this area “means a clear superiority in the  staging of attacks within the neighbor’s territory, and here comes the role of this advanced aircraft, which can accompany a squadron of F-16 fighters, and provide electronic protection and radar detection, while the F-16 aircraft is used to stifle or destroy the long-range or medium-range air-defenses, which then constituted a great difficulty for the Moroccan Air Force in the Western Sahara war with the Polisario Front.