The US Department of Defense announced on Friday that Collins Aerospace has secured a contract for sustainment services, focusing on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities for the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, among other nations.
According to the statement, the contract covers services like delivery support for devices, software, technical maintenance at organizational and intermediate levels, and depot-level repairs and reintegration of refurbished items tailored to specific countries.
This agreement includes military sales benefiting Greece, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Egypt, Morocco, Oman, Bahrain, Taiwan, Iraq, Qatar, and is expected to conclude by June 30, 2027, with an approximate value of $265 million, as confirmed by the Pentagon.
Central to this deal are the DB-110 and MS-110 Reconnaissance Pod systems, multi-spectral intelligence sensor devices primarily used in unmanned aerial vehicles and combat aircraft, notably including the F-16.
These systems enable beneficiary air forces to conduct aerial reconnaissance, prepare for realistic confrontation scenarios, monitor, and detect targeted enemy locations, according to sources.
Abderrahman Makawi, a security expert, emphasized that this deal would enhance the Moroccan F-16s’ aerial intelligence superiority. He further elaborated to Hespress that the target bank for the Royal Moroccan Air Force would expand by the contract’s conclusion in 2027, noting that this system primarily aims to provide the necessary precision for ground target monitoring via aerial means.
He highlighted that Morocco would be the only African country to benefit from the MS-110 Reconnaissance Pod systems, providing additional aerial superiority on a continental level.
The security expert reiterated that aerial confrontation scenarios necessitate target precision, and the more available, the greater the chance of success.
In 2022, Collins Aerospace announced the initial testing of the MS-110 device for an undisclosed country.
The successful completion of the first flight test demonstrated the aircraft’s integration, flight readiness, and the full system’s performance within the stringent operational boundaries of tactical jet aircraft.
