The newly inaugurated armoured vehicles plant in Berrechid cements India's first defence footprint in Africa while advancing Morocco's push for a home-grown defence industry and strategic autonomy. It also crowns years of steadily deepening military-defence ties between the two countries. On Tuesday, India's defence minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated India's first overseas defence factory in Morocco. Located in the Berrechid industrial zone, the TATA Advanced Systems Maroc (TASM) plant will produce WhAP 8×8 wheeled armoured vehicles for the Royal Armed Forces and for export across Africa, Morocco's Administration of National Defence said. The facility was inaugurated jointly by Morocco's defence minister Abdelatif Loudyi and Singh on the last day of his three-day visit to the Kingdom. Production will start with 35% locally sourced components, rising to 50%. The plant is expected to create 90 direct and 250 indirect jobs, with output set to ramp up in the medium term. The TASM plant stems from a September 2024 investment agreement between Morocco's Administration of National Defence and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL). Backed by several Moroccan ministries, the incentivised project (tax/customs and related benefits) is part of a broader push to build a home-grown defence industry and gradually achieve strategic autonomy, while also advancing India's defence footprint in Africa. Jointly inaugurated the Tata Advanced Systems Limited's (TASL) state-of-the-art defence manufacturing facility in Berrechid, Morocco with my counterpart Mr Abdelatif Loudyi. For India, self-reliance does not mean isolation; rather, we aim to develop strategic autonomy under… pic.twitter.com/cjnCPWYP4r — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 23, 2025 «For India, self-reliance does not mean isolation; we aim to develop strategic autonomy under Aatmanirbharta. Along with 'Make in India,' we are pursuing 'Make with Friends' and 'Make for the World,' and this facility in Morocco is a shining example», Minister Singh posted on X after the inauguration in Berrechid. Steadily built up military–defense ties Ahead of the ceremony, the Indian minister on Monday signed a defence MoU with Morocco covering training, joint exercises, cybersecurity/cyber defence, defence industry, military health, and exchanges of expertise, and establishing a joint mechanism to monitor and coordinate activities. The 2025 visit and the TASM inauguration crown a steady defence rapprochement between Rabat and New Delhi, details a document on India-Morocco bilateral relations viewed by Yabiladi. Since 2022, India and Morocco have steadily built up military–defense ties through reciprocal visits and exchanges: a Moroccan high-level delegation attended DefExpo in India (2022), the Royal Armed Forces took part in Aero India (2023), and India's National Defence College sent delegations in June 2024 and again in June 2025 for study tours and talks with senior Moroccan officers. In between, Rabat hosted an India–Morocco Defence Industry Seminar (December 2024), shifting the conversation from familiarization to concrete industrial cooperation. At sea, cooperation has widened with regular Casablanca port calls and joint drills between Indian Navy ships and the Royal Moroccan Navy, continuing through August 2025 with the newly commissioned INS Tamal. In parallel, equipment ties have deepened as India's MKU, the first Indian defence firm to set up in Morocco, has supplied protective gear, night-vision, sights, and surveillance systems, helping modernize Moroccan infantry and special forces. While the Berrechid facility gives India a tangible African footprint, it is also one of the first concrete steps in the Kingdom's plan to build a local defence industry. In June 2025, Morocco advanced this agenda with legislation to stimulate home-grown manufacturing and reduce imports. Building on the August 2020 legal framework, Morocco created the Defence Industrial Zones Management Company (SGZID) to develop two industrial zones dedicated to defence and security equipment and materials, as well as weapons and ammunition.
