Morocco Boosting its Air Defense System

MPQ-64F1 Sentinel(click to view full) June 24/11: The US DSCA announces [PDF] Morocco’s official request to buy 8 AN/MPQ-64F1 Improved Sentinel radars, 8 M1152 HMMWV Sentinel transports, 8 accompanying AN/VRC-92E SINCGARS Vehicular Dual Long-Range System Radios, plus Sentinel Software, HMMWV support equipment, spare and repair parts, personnel training and training equipment, publications and technical data, and U.S. Government and contractor support. The DSCA says that “The Government of Morocco is modernizing its armed forces and expanding its air defense architecture.” They could certainly use that… NASAMS components(click to view full) Morocco’s air force is receiving some much-needed upgrades these days, but it’s still heavily inferior to neighboring Algeria. Morocco’s air defenses, which are operated by its Army, have very few modern components, and are very much in need of medium range options. A handful of Russian self-propelled Tunguska M1/SA-19 gun-missile systems provide their most advanced option, but are limited to short range coverage. Their American Chapparal counterparts, which use an AIM-9 Sidewinder variant, offer the same limitations, with a less advanced missile. Most of their air defenses are actually guns, from 20mm Vulcan fixed and mobile gatling gun systems to the self-propelled, 4-barreled 23mm Russian ZSU-23. The Sentinel radars can […]