TSAMTO, January 18. The Ministry of Defense of Morocco plans to purchase two new maritime patrol aircraft after completing an appropriate assessment of the equipment available on the international market in the coming months.
As reported by Atalayar.com, several manufacturers have already made their proposals. According to the information Defensa.com Currently, the kingdom is focusing on the proposals of the Italian Leonardo group with the ATR-72MPA and the European Airbus company with the C-295MPA produced in Spain.
On the other hand, the publication does not exclude the possible choice of more expensive American basic patrol aircraft P-8 "Poseidon" by Boeing or SC-130J "Sea Hercules" produced by Lockheed Martin. However, due to the high asking price, such a scenario is unlikely.
Morocco has recently been implementing a number of programs to radically expand the capabilities of its Armed Forces. Thanks to the purchase of maritime patrol aircraft with the possibility of anti-submarine warfare in addition to new combat surface ships, Rabat will be able to implement plans for the large-scale development of its maritime economic zone and ensure the safety of the development of hydrocarbon deposits on the continental shelf in the territorial waters of the country.