By Emmanuel Nduka
Morocco has made a significant move in its defense strategy, selecting Israel’s Elbit Systems as its primary weapons supplier.
The North African nation has signed a deal to purchase 36 Atmos 2000 self-propelled artillery systems, according to a report by French newspaper La Tribune.
This shift comes in the wake of deteriorating relations between Morocco and France’s KNDS, its former defense partner, after a series of technical failures with the Caesar artillery systems Morocco ordered in 2020.
Despite receiving a partial shipment in 2022, Morocco quickly voiced dissatisfaction with the artillery, citing recurring issues that left some systems non-operational. When the French company’s response was deemed insufficiently prompt, the Moroccan Armed Forces (FAR) decided to pivot toward a more reliable supplier.
With this new agreement, Elbit Systems has firmly cemented its position as Morocco’s third-largest weapons supplier, now accounting for 11% of the country’s arms imports, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The deal also strengthens Israel’s influence as a key defense partner in the region.
The Atmos 2000 system, chosen for its impressive capabilities and commercial advantages, features a 155 mm cannon and is mounted on a Czech-made truck chassis.
It also boasts an advanced electronic system and an automatic loading mechanism, which minimizes the workload for its crew while extending its firing range beyond 40 km.
