The intensification of the war in the Middle East and the implications this may have for the Gulf states have triggered a series of events that will ultimately affect the Moroccan Air Force
Delay of the Mirage 2000-9s
Before the Israeli and US airstrikes on Iran began, and Iran’s response across multiple locations in the Gulf, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates had agreed on the transfer to the North African country of 30 Mirage 2000-9 fighter jets manufactured by the French company Dassault Aviation.
According to Africa Intelligence, the UAE’s air defence forces have placed Al Dhafra Air Base (some 30 kilometres from Abu Dhabi), where the aircraft are stationed, on alert in case they need to be deployed to defend Emirati territory.
US Air Force F-22 Raptor fighter jets arriving at Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) – Chelsea E. FitzPatrick/Handout via REUTERS
Agreement with France
The transfer of the Emirati aircraft to the Moroccan Air Force had been authorised in 2024 by the French Interministerial Committee on Arms Exports (CIEEMG), just before French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Morocco in October 2024, which served to thaw Franco-Moroccan relations.
France, as the manufacturer of the aircraft, had the final say on the transfer of the Mirage 2000-9s to Morocco, as the sales contract between Abu Dhabi and Dassault prevented the supply of the aircraft to a third party without France’s approval.
Authorisation for the delivery of the aircraft was delayed until diplomatic relations between the two countries were restored.
In fact, the Moroccan Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita, discussed this matter at a meeting with his counterpart Stéphane Séjourné, which brought an end to two years of disagreements over France’s reluctance to explicitly recognise Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara.
The outbreak of the conflict and Iran’s bombing of targets on Emirati territory forced Abu Dhabi to undertake, as a matter of urgency, an inspection of the Mirage aircraft’s fuselages and engines, in case it became necessary to deploy them during the conflict.
Morocco’s Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita, shakes hands with French Foreign Minister, Stéphane Séjourné, in Rabat, Morocco, on 26 February 2024 – REUTERS/ AHMED ELMJECHITIMI
UAE-Dassault negotiations
The situation regarding this three-way deal has been further complicated by the fact that it also depends on the delivery to the United Arab Emirates Air Force of 80 Rafale F4 aircraft, under a contract signed with the French firm Dassault Aviation in 2021.
According to Africa Intelligence, Abu Dhabi withdrew, in early April, from the development programme for the new Rafale F5 fighter jet, which also implies the withdrawal of funding for the project.
This has necessitated the initiation of negotiations with Dassault to determine compliance with the contract signed by both parties in 2021 regarding the 80 Rafale F4s. Emirati sources have even suggested the possibility that Abu Dhabi may seek an alternative supplier for its air force, which would ultimately have repercussions for Morocco.
A view of a RAFALE M F4 fighter jet at the French Ministry of the Armed Forces’ stand during the 55th Paris Air Show, held at Le Bourget Airport near Paris (France), on 16 June 2025 – REUTERS/BENOIT TESSIER
Nervousness in Morocco
In the North African country, the outcome of the Franco-Emirati negotiations is awaited to unblock the delivery of the Mirage 2000-9s. The arrival in Algeria of the first Russian-made Sukhoi Su-57E units for the Algerian air force is causing concern in Morocco, which sees its regional rival beginning to acquire fifth-generation fighters.
A Russian Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet on display during the Aero India 2025 air show, held at Yelahanka Air Force Base in Bangalore, India, on 11 February 2025 – PHOTO/REUTERS
Furthermore, the delay regarding the Mirage 2000-9s, coupled with uncertainty over the delivery date of the 25 F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft ordered from the US firm Lockheed Martin under a contract dating back to 2019, is causing concern for the Moroccan government, particularly in the current geopolitical context in the Middle East.