# EDGE, Morocco signs drone weapons contract, production MoU

- Link: https://www.military.africa/2026/10/edge-morocco-signs-drone-weapons-contract-production-mou/
- Published: 2026-10-25T22:24:23+01:00
- Author: Military Africa

EDGE Group signed a contract to supply guided weapons to the Royal Moroccan Air 
Force on Friday, 9 October 2026, at the Marrakech Air Show. The company also signed
a separate agreement to explore the local production of weapons in Morocco.

The Abu Dhabi-based defence group concluded both agreements with Morocco’s Administration
of National Defence (ADN), the body responsible for procurement for the Royal Armed
Forces. The weapons contract covers two systems: the DESERT STING 16 (DS-16), a 
guided glide bomb, and the THUNDER P-31, a precision-guidance kit designed for the
MK 81 general-purpose bomb. Both systems are manufactured by HALCON, an EDGE subsidiary.

The agreement extends beyond a straightforward purchase. EDGE will also undertake
integration work across Morocco’s fleet of unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs),
including the aircraft modifications and software required to enable Moroccan drones
to carry and deploy the munitions.

Saif Al Dahbashi, EDGE’s President of Missiles & Weapons, said the contract reflects
the air force’s requirements. Each system comes with “assured supply and long-term
sustainment,” he said, describing the agreement as a foundation for “an enduring
relationship” with Morocco.

The two weapons serve distinct roles. The DS-16 weighs 23 kg, including a 12 kg 
warhead, and can strike targets up to 15 km away when released from an altitude 
of 30,000 feet. It is a complete glide weapon rather than an add-on kit. The THUNDER
P-31 operates differently: it converts an existing MK 81 bomb into a precision weapon
by adding a guidance kit. This extends its range to 10 km when launched from drones
and up to 20 km from faster, higher-flying aircraft. Both systems rely on GNSS-assisted
inertial navigation, which combines satellite positioning with onboard sensors, 
and can be equipped with an optional semi-active laser seeker for increased accuracy.

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The pairing provides Moroccan drones with two distinct strike profiles: a lighter
glide weapon for shorter-range precision operations and a modified general-purpose
bomb for longer-range stand-off engagements. EDGE has prior experience integrating
the DS-16 onto unmanned platforms. In January 2024, the company announced a programme
to integrate the weapon onto the Bayraktar TB2, a drone already operated by Morocco,
with further aircraft integrations planned thereafter.

The second agreement signed on Friday points in a different direction: manufacturing
weapons in Morocco rather than importing them. The memorandum of understanding (
MoU) tasks EDGE and the ADN with identifying opportunities for local production 
of small arms and aeronautical engines. This work would be conducted through partnerships
with Moroccan companies rather than by EDGE alone.

Two EDGE business units are likely to play a central role in this effort. CARACAL
designs and manufactures high-performance small arms and small-calibre ammunition.
POWERTECH develops aero engines and propulsion systems for unmanned platforms. Both
are part of EDGE’s wider manufacturing network in the UAE, which the group has been
extending to partner countries seeking to develop their own defence industries.

Hamad Al Marar, EDGE’s Managing Director and CEO, presented the MoU as part of this
broader approach. “Morocco is a key partner for EDGE in Africa, and this MoU puts
our partnership-first approach into practice,” he said, describing a model based
on “knowledge exchange, local production, and technology transfer.” He added that
working with Moroccan companies on firearms and aero engines would help build “an
industrial backbone” for the kingdom’s defence requirements.

Friday’s signings took place during EDGE’s second appearance at the Marrakech Air
Show, where the company also displayed surveillance, counter-drone, navigation-protection
and loitering-munition products. EDGE [first exhibited ](https://www.military.africa/2024/10/edge-showcasing-innovations-in-morrocos-marrakesh-air-show/)
at the show in 2024.

The contract is consistent with [EDGE’s broader expansion across Africa](https://www.military.africa/2025/02/edge-group-targets-expansion-into-africa/).
The company is currently [delivering ](https://www.military.africa/2026/09/edge-delivers-ht-100-naval-uavs-to-angola-for-corvette-programme/)
a €1 billion naval modernisation programme in Angola, which includes three Combattante
corvettes and six naval unmanned helicopters. In 2025, it also signed a [letter of intent with Angola’s interior ministry](https://www.military.africa/2025/11/angola-and-edge-group-near-border-security-deal/)
for a border-security programme. Further south, EDGE is reportedly in advanced discussions
concerning a [$300 million equipment deal with Nigeria](https://www.military.africa/2026/07/edge-group-nigeria-eyes-300m-defence-deal/),
focused on the army’s ground forces and counter-terrorism units.

Morocco’s fighter procurement has progressed unevenly in recent years. In 2022, 
the UAE offered Rabat its[ entire fleet of Mirage 2000 jets](https://www.military.africa/2022/04/uae-offers-morocco-and-egypt-entire-mirage-2000-fleet/),
but a planned transfer of 30 Mirage 2000-9 aircraft was [postponed this year.](https://www.military.africa/2026/05/uae-delays-mirage-2000-9-transfer-to-morocco/)
The decision was linked to regional instability, which has prompted the UAE to retain
more of its combat aircraft in service. Arming the drone fleet instead gives Morocco
a faster route to precision-strike capability while the fighter transfer remains
unresolved.

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For the Royal Moroccan Air Force, the agreement addresses a capability gap rather
than establishing an entirely new capability. Morocco has operated armed drones 
for several years, but integrating a two-tier weapons set—a lighter glide bomb and
a longer-range guided kit—broadens the range of targets its UCAVs can engage without
requiring new airframes. The production MoU represents a longer-term commitment:
if it leads to manufacturing agreements, it would mark a shift from purchasing finished
weapons to producing components of Morocco’s own defence supply chain.

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