The Royal Moroccan Air Force (RMAF) has taken delivery of another six Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, bringing the number delivered to 19 of the 24 ordered. A ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the receipt of the latest six aircraft was held on Monday 26 October 2026 at the 1st Royal Air Force Base (1ère Base Aérienne des Forces Royales Air, or 1st BAFRA) in Sale, next to Rabat-Sale International Airport.
Major General Matthew W. Brown, commanding general of the US Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), joined senior leaders of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (FAR) for the event, which was co-chaired by General Mohammed Berrid, Inspector General of the FAR and Commander of the Southern Zone, Morocco World News reported. The two commanders held a working meeting on bilateral military cooperation with a US delegation before the ceremony. According to SETAF-AF, the helicopters are being supplied under a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) case valued at nearly $1.3 billion.
“This ceremony marks a consequential moment made possible by Morocco’s commitment to its own defense capabilities and the broader security of the region,” Brown said. “The aircraft before us is the most capable attack and reconnaissance helicopter in the world.”
Apaches in future African Lion exercises
SETAF-AF said the Apache supports the Joint Readiness and Interoperability objectives of the 2026-2036 Defense Cooperation Roadmap, which the two countries signed at the Pentagon in April. Brown said American and Moroccan pilots and land forces will train together on the aircraft during future editions of African Lion, US Africa Command’s largest annual exercise. Planning for African Lion 2027 is already under way, with the exercise due to begin in Morocco on 19 April, according to Bladi.
“Integrating these platforms into the continent’s premier joint exercise will directly increase our combined readiness, making our forces stronger, and more capable of operating and fighting alongside each other,” Brown said. He described Morocco’s leadership in regional security as “vital and deeply valued by the United States of America” and said the ribbon cutting “clearly showcases the strength of our alliance.” “We look forward to the continued growth of this historic alliance as we strive for a future of shared security, stability, and regional peace,” he added.
Morocco was the first country to recognise the United States, in 1777, and the two nations share the longest-standing treaty relationship in US history.
Three batches since March 2025
The RMAF received its first six Apaches, delivered by ship, in March 2025. Deliveries had originally been scheduled to begin in 2024 but were delayed. A second batch of seven aircraft was handed over at Cap Draa in the Tan-Tan region on 8 May 2026, at the close of African Lion 26, taking the fleet to 13. The October batch, which SETAF-AF and Moroccan media describe as the third, brings the total to 19 and leaves five aircraft to be delivered. Military Africa has previously reported that the fleet is based at the upgraded 7th Air Base in Khouribga, where the RMAF is forming two Apache squadrons under its Aerocombat Wing.
The order traces back to 2019. Morocco first sought 24 AH-64Es in a package valued at about $1.5 billion, and in November 2019 the US State Department approved a possible sale of up to 36 aircraft, 24 firm and 12 options, worth up to $4.25 billion. The notified package included AGM-114R/L Hellfire missiles, Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) laser-guided rocket kits, AIM-92H Stinger missiles, M261 rocket launchers, 70 mm rockets and 30 mm cannon ammunition. Morocco ordered 24 helicopters in June 2020, and Boeing began manufacturing Morocco’s first AH-64Es in late 2023 at Mesa, Arizona, under a contract with the US Army through the FMS process. GE Aviation supplies the T700-GE-701D engines, and a Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman joint venture won the Longbow radar contract.
Sensors, radar and a new attack role
The AH-64E that Morocco has ordered features the improved Modernized Target Acquisition Designation System (M-TADS), which provides day, night and all-weather target information as well as night vision navigation. Boeing said the AN/APG-78 Longbow Fire Control Radar, which classifies ground and air targets, has also been updated to operate in a maritime environment, a useful feature for a country with long Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines. The AH-64E variant, introduced in 2012, also brings better digital connectivity, control of unmanned aircraft and composite rotor blades that improve cruise speed, climb rate and payload.
Morocco is one of two African nations that operate the Apache, the other being Egypt, and the only one on the continent flying the AH-64E. Before the Apache deliveries, the Moroccan military had no dedicated attack helicopter and relied instead on around two dozen SA342 Gazelles flown by both Army Aviation and the RMAF.
The delivery came weeks after the US Army grounded around 400 of its own AH-64E Apaches in early October over concerns about the transmission, Stars and Stripes reported. Asked whether the Moroccan aircraft had been retrofitted, SETAF-AF referred questions to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which did not respond by the paper’s deadline.
F-16 Block 72s and a wider US shopping list
The Apaches are part of a broader stream of American equipment. Morocco is acquiring 25 F-16C/D Block 72 fighters to replace the Mirage F1s it received in the 1970s and the Northrop F-5E/F Tiger IIs it received in the 1980s, and to augment and eventually replace its existing F-16C/Ds. Lockheed Martin flew Morocco’s first F-16 Block 72 at the beginning of October. The RMAF flies 23 F-16C/D Block 50/52 aircraft received in 2011 and 2012, one of which was lost over Yemen during operations with the Saudi-led coalition. In 2019 the DSCA approved the upgrade of these aircraft to the latest F-16V Block 70/72 standard at a cost of $985.2 million, and Washington has since cleared the sale of AIM-120C-8 missiles and GBU-39B guided bombs.
Other purchases from the United States include 18 M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers, M57 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) rounds, 40 AGM-154C Joint Stand-Off Weapons (JSOW) and 612 FGM-148F Javelin anti-tank missiles, among others. Rabat has also ordered 50 more Oshkosh HET A1 tank transporters for its Abrams fleet, while L3Harris has begun a multi-year overhaul of its C-130 fleet.
A layered air force built with many suppliers
Morocco is modernising its air force quickly, in large part to counter Algeria’s formidable arsenal, a rivalry Military Africa has examined in North Africa’s air arms race. A sharp rise in spending is helping. The 2026 finance law allocates 157.2 billion dirhams to national defence, about $15.7 billion and roughly 18% more than 2025’s 133 billion dirhams, according to Morocco World News. Alongside acquisitions, Morocco is building a defence industry through joint ventures, partnerships and financial incentives, with Korea Aerospace Industries teaming with Moroccan maintenance firms on an FA-50 offer and Airbus opening a helicopter maintenance hub in the country.
Recent and reported RMAF acquisitions include four Gulfstream G550s in an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) configuration and a range of drones, among them the Israeli Heron and Hermes 900, the Chinese Wing Loong II and the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 and Akinci. Morocco has also assembled a multi-layered air defence network from Chinese, French, Israeli and American suppliers. Reported long-range systems include the Chinese HQ-9B and the Israeli Barak MX, while Morocco has been named by the Pentagon as a potential customer for the Patriot PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE), although no delivery has been confirmed. Medium-range cover comes from the Israeli SPYDER, the French VL MICA and the Chinese Sky Dragon 50, short-range defence from Stinger and Mistral missiles, and the network is supported by radars such as the French Ground Master 400.
The helicopter force is growing at a steady pace too. Morocco has ordered 10 Airbus H225M Caracal helicopters for combat search and rescue and special operations, an order Airbus confirmed at the Dubai Airshow in November 2025 and which will replace the ageing SA330 Puma fleet. Military Africa has reported on the contract, but no Caracal deliveries had been announced at the time of writing.
Five Apaches Left for Khouribga
With 19 aircraft delivered, Morocco needs five more Apaches to complete the firm order of 24, and the 12 options approved in 2019 remain open. The next milestones are bringing the two Khouribga squadrons to full strength, keeping the fleet flying as the US Army works through its own transmission inspections, and flying the aircraft alongside American Apache crews at African Lion 2027. That exercise will show how far the RMAF has moved from a Gazelle-based force to a networked attack helicopter arm able to work with US and allied units.
