TSAMTO, January 10. A new arms race is brewing in North Africa: Morocco and Algeria almost simultaneously expressed their intention to purchase fifth-generation fighters.
According to Shephard, in response to reports that Algeria intends to purchase 14 Russian Su-57s, the leadership of Morocco stated that it would achieve parity with the neighboring country through the purchase of American F-35 Lightning-2.
Israeli Agency JaFaj.net It was reported that during the recent visit of Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz to Morocco, his Moroccan counterpart requested diplomatic assistance in acquiring an American platform.
In particular, Moroccan Defense Minister Abdellatif Ludiyi appealed to Israel to help "convince the Biden administration to issue a permit for the sale of the F-35 to Morocco and get more modern weapons."
In 2018, the Algerian Air Force placed an order for the purchase of 18 Su-35 fighters in addition to the existing fleet of Su-30MKA fighters. However, then there were reports that Algeria plans to abandon the acquisition of the Su-35 and instead purchase more modern Su-57.
In 2019, the US State Department approved the potential supply of 25 F-16V Block fighter jets to Morocco.72 with an estimated cost of $3.8 billion.
