# Morocco orders Dutch USVs for counter mine, anti-submarine missions

- Link: https://www.military.africa/2026/11/morocco-orders-dutch-usvs-for-counter-mine-anti-submarine-missions/
- Published: 2026-11-01T09:18:19+01:00
- Author: Military Africa

The Royal Moroccan Navy is to receive two Dutch-built unmanned surface vessels (
USVs) for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and mine countermeasures (MCM), after the
Netherlands approved a €13 million ($14.7 million) export licence for the systems.
The Dutch government disclosed the decision in [a letter to the House of Representatives](https://www.tweedekamer.nl/kamerstukken/brieven_regering/detail?did=2026D36720&id=2026Z16186)
in July. Neither the letter nor the reporting that followed named the Dutch company
that will build the boats.

First reported by [Unmanned Africa](https://www.unmanned.africa/morocco-orders-dutch-drone-boats-to-hunt-submarines-and-mines/),
the package covers more than the hulls. It includes the vessels’ sensors, control
systems, a mission control station, spare parts, operational documentation, support
equipment, training and technical services. Moroccan reporting says the systems 
will be fully integrated with their ASW and MCM equipment before delivery, so the
navy should receive working capabilities rather than bare platforms.

## What the Boats Will Do

According to the Dutch assessment, the USVs can carry out multi-day missions with
a high degree of autonomy. That lets a navy keep sensors at sea for long periods,
watching approaches, searching for mines or listening for submarines, without exposing
crews to the risk that comes with those tasks.

Mine countermeasures are a natural fit for uncrewed vessels. Traditional minehunting
puts a crewed ship close to the very weapons it is looking for. A drone boat towing
or deploying sonar can survey a channel or harbour approach and pass contacts to
operators ashore or aboard a mother ship, keeping people out of the minefield. In
anti-submarine work, an autonomous surface vessel can carry a sonar for long-endurance
patrol of a chokepoint or port approach, extending the reach of frigates and helicopters
rather than replacing them.

The value of the deal also gives a sense of scale. At €13 million for two vessels
plus a control station, payloads, training and support, these are small to medium
craft, not ocean-going warships. They are best understood as coastal and littoral
tools for guarding ports, anchorages and shipping lanes close to shore.

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## Filling Out Morocco’s Anti-Submarine Layer

The drones will join an existing ASW force. The navy’s flagship, the FREMM frigate
RMNS Mohammed VI, was ordered as the anti-submarine variant of the class and [handed over by DCNS in 2014](https://www.armyrecognition.com/archives/archives-naval-defense/naval-defense-2014/dcns-delivers-multimission-frigate-mohammed-vi-to-royal-moroccan-navy).
Moroccan press reports that the navy’s current ASW capability rests on sonar-equipped
surface ships and helicopters fitted with dipping sonar. The Dutch USVs add persistent,
uncrewed coverage to that mix.

The requirement has an obvious regional driver. Algeria fields one of Africa’s few
submarine forces, with six Russian-built Kilo-class boats, two older Type 877s and
four improved Type 636s, according to [GlobalSecurity](https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/morocco/navy-modernization.htm).
Morocco has no submarines of its own, although it has long been reported to want
them. The same source notes that Rabat stepped up its interest after Algeria received
its newer Kilos. In that context, the ability to detect and track submarines near
Moroccan ports and the Strait of Gibraltar matters more than adding a submarine 
of its own in the short term.

The purchase also fits a wider pattern of Moroccan spending on uncrewed and protective
systems. Military Africa has reported on [the Barak MX air defence deployment](https://www.military.africa/2026/01/morocco-enhances-integrated-air-defence-with-israeli-barak-mx/),
[local production of Israeli SpyX loitering munitions](https://www.military.africa/2025/11/morocco-begins-local-production-of-israeli-spyx-loitering-munitions/),
[Baykar’s planned drone facility](https://www.military.africa/2025/01/baykar-to-establish-drone-manufacturing-facility-in-morocco/)
and [Aerodrive’s first domestic loitering munition contract](https://www.military.africa/2026/10/moroccos-aerodrive-wins-first-domestic-loitering-munition-deal/).
The Dutch boats are the naval counterpart of that drive toward unmanned capability.
Other African navies are moving in the same direction; Military Africa’s analysis
of [naval air defence in the drone era](https://www.military.africa/2025/10/defending-the-fleet-african-naval-air-defence-in-the-drone-era/)
looks at how the continent’s fleets are adapting to uncrewed threats.

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## How the Netherlands Assessed the Sale

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Development
Cooperation assessed the application against the eight criteria of the EU Common
Position on arms exports. These cover factors including regional stability, security
risks, human rights and the intended end use of the equipment. The government then
informed parliament of its decision, as is Dutch practice for larger licences to
non-allied countries.

In its review, the Netherlands described Morocco as “a stable and strategic partner
in an unstable region,” pointing to its position on the EU’s southern border and
its role in regional security cooperation, including on maritime challenges. Dutch
officials judged that the sale did not threaten regional stability.

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The assessment also considered Western Sahara, where Morocco exercises de facto 
control and the territory’s final status remains the subject of a UN-led political
process, [now centred on Morocco’s autonomy proposal](https://thedefensepost.com/2025/11/18/western-sahara-autonomy-plan/).
The Hague concluded that the vessels are intended for defensive missions and that
any auxiliary equipment in the package would serve only to protect the vessels themselves,
not for offensive use. The government added that the platforms “cannot be deployed
for other tasks without extensive modifications.”

That language reflects the scrutiny European governments apply to sales to Morocco
because of the Western Sahara dispute. By stressing that the boats are configured
for submarine detection and minehunting and cannot easily be repurposed, the Dutch
government was setting out why it judged the licence compatible with EU rules.

## A Dutch Niche

The Netherlands has become an active developer of naval drones. Moroccan outlet 
Médias24 noted that the Dutch Ministry of Defence launched the design phase of its
own anti-submarine USV in 2024. Dutch industry has also long specialised in mine
countermeasures, a field in which the Royal Netherlands Navy and its Belgian partner
are replacing traditional minehunters with mother ships that deploy uncrewed systems.
Selling to Morocco gives Dutch suppliers an early export reference in a market that
is still taking shape.

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