RABAT (Reuters) -India’s Tata Advanced Systems Limited, part of the Tata Group, opened a plant near Casablanca on Tuesday to produce armoured combat vehicles, in a move that dovetails with Morocco’s recent efforts to stimulate a homegrown defence industry.
The facility will make 8×8 Wheeled Armoured Platform (WhAP) vehicles for the Moroccan army and for export across Africa, Morocco’s defence administration said.
The plant is expected to source 35% of its components locally, with plans to raise that to 50%, underscoring Morocco’s aim to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers.
The move coincides with a push by Morocco, which has one of the largest defence budgets in Africa, to localise military production. In June, the country passed legislation to stimulate domestic defence manufacturing, aiming to meet the needs of its armed forces and cut down on imports.
The administration did not disclose the cost of the project or its production capacity.
The Tata plant’s launch follows a bilateral agreement signed on Monday between Morocco and India to deepen defence cooperation, including joint training, cyberdefence, military health, and industrial collaboration. The deal was inked during a visit to Rabat by India’s defence minister.
(Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi, Editing by William Maclean)
