According to a Moroccan military forum, the Moroccan air force has received the first delivery of the Bayraktar Akinci reconnaissance and combat drone from the Turkish manufacturer Baykar Turkish manufacturer Baykar received. According to the report, the contract was signed in 2023.
The Bayraktar Akinci is the largest Turkish-made drone to date. With a wingspan of 20 meters, a length of 12.2 meters and a height of 4.1 meters, it has a maximum take-off weight of 6,000 kilograms. Two propeller turbines enable a cruising speed of 280 km/h, while it can operate for up to 25 hours at an altitude of 12,000 to 13,000 meters.
The Akinci carries a wide range of armament at six suspension points – including air-to-air missiles, guided bombs, guided missiles and cruise missiles. Of particular note is its ability to enable Morocco’s armed forces to deploy the Roketsan SOM stand-off cruise missile and the Turkish IHA-230 supersonic missile.
The SOM has already successfully completed tests with a range of 300 kilometers and – according to the plans of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan – will serve as the basis for a more advanced variant with a potential range of up to 3,000 kilometers.
Bayraktar #AKINCI ✈️????????
✅ 2️⃣ x İHA-230 Süpersonik Füze Atış Testi
???? 155 Km Uzaktaki Hedefe Tam isabet✅ 2️⃣ x İHA-230 Supersonic Missile Firing Test
???? Bull’s Eye From 155 Km#Baykar ???? @Roketsan#MilliTeknolojiHamlesi ???????????? pic.twitter.com/Au05EDhoQv– BAYKAR (@BaykarTech) November 13, 2024
Morocco also procures Chinese TB-001s
At almost the same time, it was announced that the Moroccan air force would also be procuring the Chinese Tengden TB-001 Scorpion. This belongs to the same class of high-flying drones with long endurance as the Bayraktar Akinci.
The TB-001 is powered by three propeller turbines and has a wingspan of around 20 meters, a length of 10 meters and a height of 3.3 meters. It can stay in the air for up to 40 hours and cover 6,000 to 8,000 kilometers at an altitude of 8,000 to 10,000 meters.
With its twelve external load stations, the drone can carry 1,200 to 1,500 kilograms of weaponry. It is controlled by radio up to 250 kilometers and beyond that via satellite communication – allowing for practically unlimited ranges.
Morocco’s drone fleet: an overview
According to a report by Military Africa from April 2024, Morocco built up a fleet of 233 drones between 1980 and 2024. This includes IAI Heron and Hermes 900 drones from Israel and at least 19 Bayraktar TB2s from Turkey. In 2023, missions by the Chinese drone Wing Loong 2 were also observed from the civilian airport in El Aaiún.
In 2021, Morocco signed a contract for the local production of 150 WanderB tactical drones, manufactured by the Israeli company BlueBird Aero Systems. This drone was presented to the Moroccan public in 2022. The US drones MQ-1A Predator and MQ-9B SeaGuardian are also repeatedly mentioned, but have not yet been sighted.
Here to our drone topic area with all the latest news on the subject.
