Morocco buys US aircraft with Israeli military spy equipment

(Agence Ecofin) – According to various media sources, Morocco will convert the US-made Gulf Stream G550 aircraft into spy planes by the Israeli company Elta Systems. The scandal surrounding Pegasus software is far from over.

Morocco is preparing to strengthen its spy system with new spy planes. These are provided by the United States of America, and we learn from solid sources.

The new aircraft is the Gulfstream G550s made in the United States. Initially for commercial aircraft, they will be converted into ISR (intelligence, surveillance and surveillance) jets by the US company L3 Communications, the Moroccan site said. Lay Desk. Due to their sensitivity, detailed technical specifications of these aircraft have not been released. However, in 2018, Spanish media Defensia reported that the devices will have an ELINT (electronic intelligence) system dedicated to detecting, locating and identifying enemy electronic devices such as radars, ground-based missile systems, air or aircraft. As an organization dedicated to intercepting any communications.

If the acquisition of this military equipment appears to be part of a larger strategy to strengthen the Sheriff’s Kingdom’s military capabilities, its announcement could undermine its diplomatic relations with Africa when cited in spying cases. Partners. In April, a Moroccan flight “thus delivered” Spy », Although already intercepted by Senegalese authorities, was flying over the Casamans area. Following the MFDC’s (Senegal Democratic Forces Movement) offensive against the rebel movement, Thackeray has recently taken pictures of particularly military bases, especially important areas.

Most recently, it was the Pegasus affair that struck Rabat. In the scandal, the Serbian kingdom was particularly isolated and accused of using Israeli spy to spy on journalists, but also foreign leaders such as the Frenchman Emmanuel Macron. Troubled, Elda Systems has been cited as a subsidiary in the conversion of the Gulf G550s, which is an Israeli subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries.

Although Moko authorities have denied all allegations related to the Pegasus software, the case is likely to feed the most skeptical, especially if it is known that Rabat and Tel Aviv have come very close in recent years, especially under the Trump administration.

It should be remembered that Morocco is one of Africa’s leading African investors and is also considered by the United States as the gateway to the continent. This good deal between the two countries has helped Rabat in recent years to obtain combat and surveillance equipment from Washington DC. The new Gulf Stream 550s will be added to a military arsenal, which has been on the rise in recent years, especially with the acquisition and deployment of two spy satellites in 2017 and 2018 capable of capturing accurate images. 70 cm from any point on the planet within 24 hours.

Moutiou Adjibi Nourou