The Moroccan army has received the first Chinese FD-2000B long-range air defense missile systems and deployed them at the Sisidi Yahya military base, about 50 kilometers north of the capital Rabat, the North Africa Post reported Dec. 21. The base is equipped with the Tianlong-50 medium-range air defense missile purchased from China.
Morocco is the third country to purchase Chinese FD-2000 series air defense missiles, the other two being Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
It is worth mentioning that Morocco is a traditional customer of Chinese weapons, and Chinese equipment used by the Moroccan armed forces include VT-1A main battle tanks, Type 56 automatic rifles, HJ-8L anti-tank missiles, WS-2D multiple rocket launcher systems, DK-9 close range combined ammunition and gun air defense systems, etc.
The FD-2000 series air defense system is China’s medium- and long-range air defense missile weapon system for foreign trade. The system is developed based on HQ-9 and applies a large number of advanced technologies such as composite guidance system, phased array guidance radar, active radar guidance head, vertical cold launch, digital accusation, etc. It has a long interception distance, covers the entire airspace, and at the same time has a strong multi-target capability and integrated air defense and anti-missile capability, and is the main warfare weapon for air defense.
Public information shows that the FD-2000B can have a maximum interception distance of 125 kilometers for fighter-type targets, with a strike coverage of up to 49,000 square kilometers.
Since 2017, the Moroccan military has been working to modernize its weapons and has developed the “2030 Modernization Plan” for this purpose. According to the 2022 finance bill, Morocco will allocate $12.8 billion to “purchase and maintain the equipment of the armed forces,” which means signing new arms deals.
Algeria and Morocco have long had tense relations due to the Western Sahara issue. In recent years, Morocco and Algeria’s defense spending has been rising year by year. Tensions were further exacerbated when Algerian Foreign Minister Ramadan Lamamra announced at a press conference on Aug. 24 this year that he was severing diplomatic ties with Morocco.
Algeria is also a long-time customer of Chinese military weapons. They have imported many weapons and equipment from China, including rocket launchers, mortars, main battle tanks and so on. In September this year, it bought 24 Wing-Loong II reconnaissance and attack drones in one go.