France and Morocco boost cooperation with joint military exercise

The Royal Moroccan Air Force and the French Air and Space Force have begun a joint military exercise, Marathon 25, on Moroccan territory, according to Yabiladi.

The French military took to X on June 24th to clarify that the training aims “to enhance interoperability and mastery of aerial procedures and tactics.”

Morocco has committed “eight F-16 fighter jets, along with Puma helicopters for transport and medical evacuation missions”. On the French side, the deployment includes “five Rafale B jets from the 4th Fighter Wing and an A330 MRTT Phénix from the 31st Air Refueling and Strategic Transport Wing”.

The program includes a live-fire campaign by Rafale B jets, in-flight refueling of Moroccan F-16s by the Phénix tanker, and coordinated training exercises centered on tactics, joint operations, and realistic combat scenarios.

The French military described Marathon 25 as an initiative conducted under the banner of cooperation, knowledge sharing, and operational synergy.

Morocco has seeked to develop its military capabilities beyond just joint exercises and knowledge sharing. On June 20th, the Moroccan-friendly outlet Hespress reported that Morocco was nearing a deal to acquire the cutting-edge Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jet.

Lockheed Martin representatives at IDEX allegedly met with a Moroccan military delegation to have an “in-depth briefing” on the jet’s capabilities.  Times Aerospace reported that, while no official announcement was made, Israel has showed its support for the deal – a key component to the sale of the fighter in the Arab world.

If secured, Morocco could soon become the first Arab and African nation to acquire the advanced jet.

Yabiladi, Hespress, Times Aerospace