Morocco is in talks with Israel to acquire the Delilah cruise missile to equip it’s existing fleet of F-5 fighters.
Delilah cruise missile system is developed by Israeli weapon manufacturer Elbit Systems. If the contract goes through, Morocco will be able to accurately hit land and sea targets at a 250 km distance.
“The F-5 will be equipped with the latest avionics and advanced sensors and jamming systems, in addition to modern air-to-ground and air-to-air weaponry,” the Spanish military news portal Defensa reported.
The Delilah missiles is equipped with an advanced electro-optical (E/O) seeker for day, night, and all-weather.
With a a cruising speed of Mach 0.5 to 0.7, Delilah offers a pre-programmed mission capability with post-launch upgrades, a man-in-the-loop capability for target identification, and final strike approval that allows for real-time target identification.
The acquisition is part of Morocco’s latest effort to upgrade its arsenal as the country had announced a series of purchases for state-of-the-art military equipment earlier this year.
Military agreements between Morocco and Israel is coming at a time when rising tensions and a potential arms race between the kingdom and neighbouring Algeria which severed diplomatic relations last year with Rabat, citing “a series of hostile attitudes and trends”.
“This is a deal that will enable us to help them with what they need from us, of course subject to our interests in the region,” Israeli Defence Minister’s side Zohar Palti told a local media.
In February, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) signed an agreement with Morocco to supply the military with advanced Barak MX air and missile defense systems in a deal worth more than $500 million.
Last month, the Kingdom announced striking a deal with a Israeli company IAI on collaboration in the aeronautic sector.