Morocco’s Air Force Reloads: F-16s all in

French Mirage F1s

Morocco’s combat air force currently flies 2 squadrons of old F-5 fighters, and 2 squadrons of only slightly newer Mirage F1s. T-37 light jets serve as high-end trainers. Their neighbor and rival Algeria flies MiG-23s of similar vintage, but the Force Aérienne Algérienne also flies SU-24 Fencer and SU-25 Frogfoot strike aircraft, plus even more modern and capable MiG-29s, and is receiving multi-role SU-30MKs as part of a multi-billion dollar weapons deal with Russia.

Morocco can’t beat that array. Instead, they’re looking for replacement aircraft and upgrades that will prevent complete overmatch, and provide a measure of security. Initially, they looked to France, but key reversals have handed most of this modernization work to the United States.

Rapid Fire August 29, 2012: US-Brazil Defense Trade and Beyond

• The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) recommends [PDF] to grow US-Brazil defense trade through the promotion of corporate partnerships and easing technology transfer. The Institute for National Strategic Studies makes a similar assessment [PDF] and notes that Franco-Brazilian deals are underpinned by external financing. The Pentagon reached a similar conclusion in its talks with India: these big emerging countries want more than just trade out of defense deals.

• Brazil’s Embraer is leading the consortium which last week won the first phase of the SISFRON border security project. The firm is following the Boeing model with a separate defense company with its own CEO and is aiming to reach the $1B/year threshold this year.