Morocco, US conduct first joint cruise missile live-fire exercise

Morocco and the United States have conducted their first joint live-fire exercise involving cruise missiles at a training range near Tan-Tan in southern Morocco, the Royal Armed Forces said on August 11.

The demonstration firing took place at facilities of the Africa Multi-Purpose Training and Experimentation Centre, which is being established in Morocco as a regional hub for innovation, strategic cooperation, testing new developments and evaluating advanced technologies, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The first cruise missile launches at the Tan-Tan range marked “an important milestone in bilateral defence cooperation”, the Moroccan military said, adding that the exercise expanded the two countries’ ability to operate together under real-world conditions.

The forces used a “low-cost, long-range cruise missile system designed to provide scalable and cost-effective options for precision strikes”. The exercise also tested communications systems and assessed the manoeuvrability of the missiles and launcher components.

In mid-July, Morocco and the US signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a joint multi-purpose centre in the kingdom for training military personnel from African countries.

The Royal Armed Forces said the agreement forms part of the defence cooperation roadmap for 2026–2036, signed by Morocco and the US in April 2026. The two countries had previously signed a 10-year agreement in October 2020 to strengthen military cooperation.

By Aghakazim Guliyev