DR ‹ › Morocco has quietly brought the Barak MX air and missile defense system online, according to reports from an Israeli media outlet. This advanced system, ordered in February 2022 from the Israeli state-owned company Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), was acquired for an estimated $500 million. «The system is operational at least at one base in Sidi Yahya El Gharb, northeast of Rabat, and in the Sahara region», the source reveals. Notably, the first successful missile interception by the Barak MX was conducted by Moroccan military personnel, witnessed by their Israeli counterparts, in the Sahara in January 2023. The Sidi Yahya El Gharb base, inaugurated in 2021, had already hosted two Chinese air defense systems, the FD-2000B and the Sky Dragon 50, underscoring its strategic importance in Morocco's air defense infrastructure. The initial deliveries of the Israeli system to the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) commenced in mid-2023. The Barak MX is engineered to intercept a diverse array of threats, including aircraft, drones, cruise missiles, and short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. It features a multilayered architecture that integrates various interceptors, medium, long, and very long range, with active electronically scanned array radars and a command center capable of managing multiple simultaneous engagements, the Israeli media outlet notes. The acquisition of the Barak MX system was a key topic during the visit of former Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz to Rabat on November 24 and 25, 2021, which included the signing of a military cooperation memorandum between Morocco and Israel.
