Israel and Morocco have reportedly signed an agreement for the supply of Israel Aerospace Industries’ state-of-the-art Barak MX air defense system.
According to the Israeli newspaper Globes, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will supply the Barak MX system to the Moroccan Armed Forces, following the signing of a contract valued at approximately US$500 million.
Barak MX
Barak MX, developed by IAI, is an advanced air and missile defense system that provides a single integrated solution for multiple simultaneous airborne threats of different origins and ranges.
The Barak MX complex is configurable and scalable, allowing it to be tailored to deal with many types of threats, from small drones to certain types of ballistic missiles.
Barak MX system consists of three basic elements:
- The Battle Management Center (BMC), creates and manages a unified multi-sensor air picture, coordinates force operations networks, and manages launch matrices
- Barak interceptors, all vertically launched, for 360° coverage. These missiles have high maneuverability, short minimum ranges, and use active radar seekers, designed to engage targets with low radar cross-sections and high maneuverability. There are three types of missiles, for different mission types:
- First: BARAK MRAD, with a single impulse rocket motor, for a range of up to 35 km (22 miles).
- Second: BARAK LRAD, with dual-boost rocket motor for a range of up to 70 km (43 miles)
- Third: BARAK ER, with a dual boost rocket motor and an additional booster for a range of up to 150 km and enhanced capabilities against theater ballistic missiles (TBM)
- IAI’s phased array (AESA) radars, available in various sizes and configurations
The modularity of the Barak MX Land Deployable system allows it to be easily integrated with any existing or new sensor.
All Barak MX Land Deployable components (BMC, launchers with interceptors, and radars) can be operated from a permanent infrastructure. They can also be truck mounted and deployed to temporary operational sites.
Morocco is rearming and looking for a partner in Israel
Morocco initially became interested in Israel’s supply of these and other systems when Defense Minister Benny Gantz visited the country last November. During the visit, Gantz signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on defense collaboration between the two countries, including such agreements.
According to various sources, Morocco discussed its needs with Israel and Israel proposed several alternatives, of which the Barak system was chosen for its flexibility and capabilities in several areas. IAI CEO Boaz Levy secretly visited Morocco and presented the capabilities of the missile defense systems and finalized the details of the deal. IAI’s newly appointed president, Amir Peretz, has also been closely involved in the deal.
Morocco had made purchases of Israeli war materiel in the past, such as Heron drones, among other systems. But all these purchases were made through third parties, as the two states had not maintained diplomatic relations for decades. But following the signing of the Abraham Accords for the normalization of relations between Israel and the Arab world, and the accompanying agreements, including the MoU signed during Gantz’s visit, purchases will now be made directly.
