Royal Moroccan Air Force

Ordem de batalha · Morocco

Royal Moroccan Air Force

القوات الملكية الجوية · Forces Royales Air

The Royal Moroccan Air Force (Forces Royales Air) was formed in 1956 as the Sherifian Royal Aviation, flew Soviet jets for a few years before turning to France and the United States, lost dozens of aircraft over Western Sahara between 1975 and 1991, and in 2026 is rebuilding around the F-16 Block 72, the AH-64E Apache and Turkish and Israeli drones while the Western Sahara conflict it has flown over for half a century resumed in 2020.

Marcação nacionalA green pentagram and a gold crown on a red disc ringed in green.
70Aeronaves de combate
11Bases aéreas ativas
1956Fundada
9Tipos aposentados
Photo: Ndunruh / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
PaísMarrocosFundada1956StatusAtivoSedeOujda (per Wikipedia; not confirmed officially)ComandanteMohammed Gadih
A história

The Royal Moroccan Air Force story: Soviet MiGs in 1961, half a century over Western Sahara and the F-16 Block 72

1956–1964: the Sherifian Royal Aviation and the Sand War

Morocco’s air arm was formed on 14 May 1956, weeks after independence, as the Sherifian Royal Aviation (Aviation Royale Chérifienne); Wikipedia also gives 19 November 1956 as its anniversary date. Its first real combat equipment came from an unexpected quarter: in 1961 the Soviet Union supplied 12 MiG-17 fighters, two MiG-15UTI trainers and, depending on the account, two or four Il-28 bombers, alongside 24 French Fouga Magister jet trainers. When the border war with Algeria began in late September 1963, Wikipedia’s air force article lists C-119s, C-47s and T-6s flying reconnaissance and MS.733 Alcyons on ground attack, but the Sand War itself was fought mainly on the ground: the only air attack its Wikipedia article records was by an Algerian aircraft at Oued Zeknou. The fighting stopped with the Bamako Accord of 30 October 1963, and on 1 February 1964 the service became the Royal Air Force, Forces Royales Air.

1964–1975: the American turn and a squadron at Tanta

The MiGs did not last. From 1966 to 1974 the United States delivered 22 F-5As, two F-5Bs and two RF-5As, which formed the 1st Fighter Squadron; Iran gave two more F-5As in 1974 and Jordan sold six in 1976. The F-5 made Morocco one of the few Arab air forces to fly American fighters in the 1970s, and it went to war with them far from home: during the Yom Kippur War a squadron of Moroccan F-5As joined the Egyptian 69 Squadron at Tanta on 19 October 1973, and Wikipedia states that they intercepted Israeli Mirage IIICJs in January 1974. No Moroccan loss or kill from that deployment was found in the sources checked. In December 1975, as Spain left Western Sahara, Morocco ordered 25 Mirage F1CH interceptors from France, the start of a dual French and American fleet that it still flies.

1975–1991: the air war over Western Sahara

Spain’s withdrawal in 1975 and 1976 left Western Sahara contested: Morocco regards it as its southern provinces, while the Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and demands self-determination; the UN lists it as a non-self-governing territory. The air force flew the war from start to finish. Wikipedia’s Western Sahara War article states that Moroccan jets attacked refugee camps at Umm Dreiga in early 1976 with napalm and white phosphorus. Mirage F1s went into combat in October 1979 with bombs, rockets and cannon, and the Polisario’s missiles made it expensive. Wikipedia’s Mirage F1 article, citing the Helion history by Cooper, Grandolini and Fontanellaz, counts 12 F1s shot down, with four pilots killed and five captured; its F-5 article says 15 F-5s were confirmed lost, while its air force article gives nine F-5As. An Alpha Jet was shot down in December 1985. A ceasefire monitored by MINURSO took effect on 6 September 1991.

1991–2019: Tiger III, MF2000 and the first F-16s

Peace on the berm let the air force rebuild. Saudi-financed F-5Es and F-5Fs had arrived from 1981 to 1983, and 12 more F-5Es followed from 1990; from 2001 to 2004 Italian radar and new cockpits turned 24 of them into the F-5E Tiger III. From 2005 France helped overhaul 27 Mirage F1s to the MF2000 standard with a new radar and MICA missiles. The decisive step came on 27 December 2007, when Washington announced the sale of 24 F-16C/Ds; they arrived between July 2011 and August 2012, together with 24 T-6C trainers. The same years brought the service’s worst accident: on 26 July 2011 a C-130H crashed near Guelmim, killing 80 people according to Wikipedia’s article on the crash (its air force article gives 78). The F-16s went to war within three years, against the Islamic State in late 2014 and in Yemen from March 2015.

2019–2026: Block 72, Apaches and drones

On 25 March 2019 the United States approved two packages: 25 new F-16 Block 72s for an estimated 3.787 billion dollars and an upgrade of the 23 existing Block 52+ jets to the F-16V standard for 985.2 million dollars. A 2021 report expected the new jets in 2024 and named Sidi Slimane and Ben Guerir as the bases to be rebuilt for them, but no official delivery of a Block 72 had been announced in the sources checked by October 2026; on 31 August 2026 the US Air Force did contract CAE for two Block 72 simulators at Sidi Slimane. The helicopter fleet moved faster: the first six of 24 AH-64E Apaches were received at the 1st Air Base in Salé on 5 March 2025, and a second batch followed in April 2026. Alongside them came drones: three IAI Herons bought in 2014, Turkish Bayraktar TB2s from 2021 and, by press accounts, the larger Akıncı.

Western Sahara since 2020: a war mostly fought by drones, and little of it on the record

On 13 November 2020 Moroccan forces moved into the Guerguerat buffer zone and the Polisario declared the 1991 ceasefire over. The fighting since has been small in scale and poorly documented. Moroccan media such as Hespress, citing unnamed sources, report drone strikes east of the berm, for example one on 15 May 2025 near Mahbes that they say killed a senior Polisario commander, but the Royal Armed Forces do not publish statements on such strikes, and independent casualty totals were not found in the sources reachable for this page. Human Rights Watch recorded a Polisario rocket attack on Smara in May 2024 that fell short, and notes that Morocco has refused the UN human rights office access to the territory since 2015. Diplomatically Rabat has gained ground: the United States recognised its sovereignty claim on 10 December 2020, and Security Council resolution 2797 of 31 October 2025 called Moroccan autonomy a possible basis for talks, which the Polisario says implies no recognition of Moroccan sovereignty.

The MiGs did not last. From 1966 to 1974 the United States delivered 22 F-5As, two F-5Bs and two RF-5As, which formed the 1st Fighter Squadron; Iran gave two more F-5As in 1974 and Jordan sold six in 1976.Royal Moroccan Air Force · verified 2026-10-01

À primeira vista

The Royal Moroccan Air Force in numbers

Serviço

Nome nativo
القوات الملكية الجوية / Forces Royales AirArabic and French as the state news agency MAP writes them. A Tamazight (Tifinagh) form used by the armed forces was not found in the sources checked
Fundada
14 May 1956As the Sherifian Royal Aviation (Aviation Royale Chérifienne); renamed Royal Air Force on 1 February 1964. Wikipedia’s infobox gives 19 November 1956 as the anniversary
Parte de
Royal Armed ForcesThe King is Supreme Commander and Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces
Sede
Not officially publishedWikipedia lists Oujda as the air bases headquarters (BAFRA No. 0); no official confirmation was found
Inspector of the Royal Air Force
Maj. Gen. Mohammed GadihGénéral de Division Aérienne; named by MAP in 2024 and 2025 (also spelled Kadih)
Equipe de exibição
Marche VerteAerobatic team created on the order of King Hassan II in 1984; flies CAP 232s

Força

Pessoal
About 13,000Wikipedia’s figure, citing the IISS Military Balance; not published by Morocco
Aeronaves de combate
  • F-16C/D Block 52+ — 23
  • Mirage F1 (MF2000) — about 25
  • F-5E/F Tiger III — about 22

Wikipedia’s inventory, citing FlightGlobal and the IISS. 25 F-16 Block 72 are on order; none was publicly reported delivered in the sources checked

Helicópteros de ataque
  • AH-64E Apache — first six received March 2025, second batch April 2026; 24 ordered
  • SA 342 Gazelle — about 19

The size of the second Apache batch was not published

Transporte e missão especial
  • C-130H / KC-130H Hercules — about 16
  • C-27J Spartan — 4
  • CN-235 — 5
  • CL-415 water bombers — 8

The CL-415 figure is MAP’s; the others are Wikipedia’s

Treinadores
  • T-6C Texan II — 24
  • Alpha Jet — 19–24
  • DA42 — number not published
  • CAP 232 — 7–8 in team displays

Wikipedia’s air force article gives 19 Alpha Jets, its Alpha Jet article 24

Drones
  • Bayraktar TB2 — 13–19 reported
  • IAI Heron — 3 (bought 2014)
  • Bayraktar Akıncı — reported, number not published

Morocco does not publish drone holdings; all figures are press or Wikipedia figures

Infraestrutura

Air bases named in official reporting
  • 1st Air Base, Salé — Apache reception 2025
  • 3rd Air Base, Kenitra — Canadair water bombers
  • Sidi Slimane Air Base — F-16 Block 72 simulators
  • Ben Guerir — named for F-16 upgrade works
  • Marrakech — Royal Air Force schools base

Base numbering differs between sources: Wikipedia calls Ben Guerir the 1st base, MAP calls Salé the 1st; one press report calls Sidi Slimane the 5th and Ben Guerir the 6th

F-16 base works
Over 4.7 billion dollars reported (2021)For Sidi Slimane and Ben Guerir, reported by Morocco World News citing Defensa; not an official figure
combate a incêndios
8 CL-415 at KenitraPart of the national four-level wildfire system; the General Support Air Base overhauls them in Morocco
Reabastecimento aéreo
KC-130HMorocco fitted a Boeing 707-138B with hose units in 1982 for the Western Sahara war

Estrutura

How the Royal Moroccan Air Force is organised

One service of the Royal Armed Forces, run by an Inspector of the Royal Air Force under the King as Supreme Commander, and one that publishes no order of battle. Three fighter types make up the front line — about 23 F-16C/Ds, 25 Mirage F1s upgraded to the MF2000 standard and 22 F-5E/F Tiger IIIs, in Wikipedia’s figures — with 25 F-16 Block 72s on order but none publicly delivered by October 2026. Wikipedia places the air bases headquarters at Oujda, which no official source confirms, and the sources number the bases differently.

MG

Major General (Général de Division Aérienne)Mohammed GadihInspector of the Royal Air Force (Inspecteur des Forces Royales Air)
Royal Moroccan Air Forceالقوات الملكية الجوية
Sede

Royal Moroccan Air Force

القوات الملكية الجوية
Oujda, per Wikipedia

One of the services of the Royal Armed Forces, whose Supreme Commander and Chief of the General Staff is King Mohammed VI. The air force is run by its Inspector, Maj Gen (Général de Division Aérienne) Mohammed Gadih, so named by MAP in July 2024 and March 2025 (spelled Kadih in a November 2025 report); the date of his appointment was not found. Wikipedia places the air bases headquarters at Oujda; no official source confirms it.

linha de frente

Fighter fleet

Three fighter types in Wikipedia’s figures, citing FlightGlobal and the IISS: 23 F-16C/D Block 52+ delivered in 2011–2012, about 25 Mirage F1s upgraded to the MF2000 standard and about 22 F-5E/F Tiger IIIs. 25 F-16 Block 72s were approved in 2019, but none had been publicly delivered by October 2026. Morocco does not publish which squadrons fly them or from where.

Transporte

Transporte e combate a incêndios

Kénitra (3rd Air Base)

About 16 C-130H and KC-130H Hercules, four C-27J Spartans and five CN-235s according to Wikipedia. MAP reported in August 2026 that eight CL-415 water bombers operate from the 3rd Air Base at Kénitra, overhauled in Morocco by the General Support Air Base, as the core of the national wildfire response.

Helicópteros

Attack and utility helicopters

The first six of 24 AH-64E Apaches were received at the 1st Air Base in Salé on 5 March 2025, according to MAP, and a second batch of unpublished size followed in April 2026; Morocco World News had placed the first delivery at Khouribga. Wikipedia lists ten CH-47D Chinooks, 24 Pumas, about 19 Gazelles, 27 AB 205A and AB 212s and six H135Ms.

Treinamento

École Royale de l’Air

Marrakech and Benslimane

The Royal Air School at the Marrakech schools base trains the service’s officer pilots and engineers, according to MAP. The training fleet includes 24 T-6C Texan IIs bought with the F-16s, 19 to 24 Alpha Jets and DA42s; a DA42 crashed at Benslimane on 21 November 2024, killing an instructor colonel and a trainee officer. The Marche Verte aerobatic team, created in 1984, flies CAP 232s.

Unmanned

Drones

Ben Guerir, by press account

Morocco does not publish its drone holdings: three IAI Herons bought in 2014, 13 to 19 Bayraktar TB2s from 2021 by press and Wikipedia figures, and Akıncıs by press accounts. Hespress, citing the Spanish site Defensa, places the TB2s and Akıncıs at Ben Guerir; the armed forces have not confirmed it, nor any strike east of the Western Sahara berm.


Em serviço

What the Royal Moroccan Air Force flies today

Cada tipo de cobrança, com link para sua página no Livro das Feras, quando houver. Os números indicam as aeronaves registradas, não as aeronaves disponíveis em um determinado dia.

Tipo Papel Em serviço Desde Unidades Notas
Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 52+ Fighting FalconEm serviço Caça multifuncional 23 2011 24 delivered 2011–2012; 23 in service after the loss over Yemen in 2015. Wikipedia counts 8 two-seat D models
Dassault Mirage F1CH/EH/EH-200 (MF2000)Em serviço Caça multifuncional 25 1978 About 25 per Wikipedia; 50 delivered from 1978 (30 F1CH, 14 F1EH, 6 F1EH-200 with refuelling probes); 27 upgraded to MF2000
Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II (F-5E Tiger III)Em serviço Lutador 22 1981 About 22 per Wikipedia, 3 of them F-5F trainers; 16 F-5E and 4 F-5F delivered 1981–1983 plus 12 F-5E from 1990
Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet EEm serviço Treinador avançado e ataque leve 1979 19–24: 24 delivered 1979–1981; Wikipedia’s air force article lists 19 in service, its Alpha Jet article 24
Beechcraft T-6C Texan IIEm serviço Instrutor básico 24 2011 24 sold in October 2009; all in service by January 2012
Diamante DA42Em serviço Treinador multimotor Number not published
Mudry/CAP Aviation CAP 232Em serviço Aerobatic (Marche Verte team) MAP reports displays by seven and by eight CAP 232s
Lockheed C-130H / KC-130H HerculesEm serviço Transporte tático e navio-tanque 16 About 16 per Wikipedia, including 2 KC-130H tankers and 1 electronic-intelligence aircraft
Alenia C-27J SpartanEm serviço Transporte tático 4 Wikipedia figure
CASA/IPTN CN-235Em serviço Transporte leve 5 Wikipedia figure
Bombardier (Canadair) CL-415Em serviço Bombardeador de água 8 MAP, August 2026
Boeing AH-64E Apache GuardianEm serviço Helicóptero de ataque 2025 First six received on 5 March 2025; a second batch of unpublished size in April 2026; 24 ordered with an option on 12 more
Boeing CH-47D ChinookEm serviço helicóptero de carga pesada 10 Wikipedia figure; former US Army aircraft
Aérospatiale SA 330 PumaEm serviço helicóptero utilitário 24 Wikipedia figure
Aérospatiale SA 342 GazelleEm serviço Scout and anti-armour helicopter 19 Wikipedia figure
Agusta-Bell AB 205A and AB 212Em serviço helicóptero utilitário 27 24 AB 205A and 3 AB 212 per Wikipedia
Airbus Helicopters H135M (EC635)Em serviço helicóptero utilitário leve 6 Wikipedia figure
Baykar Bayraktar TB2Em serviço Armed drone 2021 13–19: Wikipedia’s air force article gives 13–20 with a citation-needed tag; its TB2 article says 19 ordered
Baykar Bayraktar AkıncıEm serviço Heavy armed drone Number not published
IAI HeronEm serviço Drone de reconhecimento 3 2014 Three bought in 2014
AB 205/21227
Mirage F125
T-6C24
SA 33024
F-16C/D23
F-5E/F22
SA 34219
C-130H16

Sob encomenda

Tipo Encomendado Primeira entrega Notas
Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 72Sob encomenda 25 Approved by the US government on 25 March 2019 at an estimated 3.787 billion dollars.

Mais

A 2021 press report expected deliveries in 2024; no delivery had been announced in the sources checked by October 2026. On 31 August 2026 the US Air Force contracted CAE for two Block 72 full-mission simulators at Sidi Slimane, due by 30 April 2029.

Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian (balance of order)Sob encomenda 2025 24 ordered with an option on 12 more; six received in March 2025 and a second batch of unpublished size in April 2026, so the number still to come is not known.

Anteriormente operado

Every type the Royal Moroccan Air Force has retired

9 types, from the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F to the Northrop F-5A/B Freedom Fighter and RF-5A. Os números máximos representam as aeronaves incorporadas à frota ao longo de toda a sua vida útil, e não a força total da frota em uma data específica.

Tipo Papel Pico Servido Substituído por Notas
Northrop F-5A/B Freedom Fighter e RF-5A Caça e reconhecimento 34 1966– F-5E/F, Mirage F1 22 F-5A, 2 F-5B and 2 RF-5A from the US 1966–1974; 2 F-5A from Iran (1974) and 6 from Jordan (1976)
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F Lutador 12 1961– F-5A 12 delivered in 1961
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15UTI Treinador a jato 2 1961– Two delivered in 1961
Ilyushin Il-28 bombardeiro leve 1961– Two or four delivered in 1961: English Wikipedia says two or four, French Wikipedia four
Fouga CM.170 Magister Jato de treinamento e ataque leve 24 Alpha Jet 24 per French Wikipedia
T-6 Texan norte-americano Treinador e ataque leve T-6C Texan II Number not found
Morane-Saulnier MS.733 Alcyon Treinador e ataque leve Number not found
Douglas C-47 e Fairchild C-119 Transporte C-130H Numbers not found
Boeing 707-138B tanker navio-tanque 1 1982– KC-130H One converted in 1982

bases aéreas

Where the Royal Moroccan Air Force flies from

Black pins are active bases; no closed airfield is listed. Several were American in the 1950s: Ben Guerir and Sidi Slimane were Strategic Air Command bomber bases until 1963, and Kénitra, the former Port-Lyautey, was a US Naval Air Station from 1951. Morocco publishes no list of its bases, and the sources number them differently: MAP calls Salé the 1st Air Base, while Wikipedia gives the number to Ben Guerir. Laâyoune lies in Western Sahara, which the UN lists as a non-self-governing territory; Morocco asserts sovereignty and proposes autonomy, and the Polisario Front demands a referendum on self-determination. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.

Base aérea ativa Fechado ou reservadoClique em um marcador para abrir a página inicial.

Morocco and Western Sahara

One of the 11 bases above sits outside Morocco and Western Sahara, so the world map has to pull back until the home airfields cannot be told apart. The same pins again, without the overseas base.

Base OACI Status Pista Unidades e aeronaves
Ben GuerirMarrakech-Safi GMMG Ativo 18/364,182 m
BenslimaneCasablanca-Settat GMMB Ativo 14/323,074 m
GuelmimGuelmim-Oued Noun GMAG Ativo 05/233,040 m
KenitraRabat-Salé-Kénitra GMMY Ativo 07/252,437 mconcreto03/211,839 m
KhouribgaBéni Mellal-Khénifra Ativo
LaâyouneHassan I AirportWestern Sahara (administered by Morocco as the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra region) GMML Ativo 02/202,701 m04/222.500 m
MarrakechBase École des Forces Royales AirMarrakech-Safi GMMX Ativo 10/283.100 m
  • École Royale de l’Air (Royal Air School)
Meknes BassatineFès-Meknès GMFM Ativo 09/272,820 m08/261.957 m
OujdaRoyal Air Force air bases headquartersOriental Ativo
SaléRabat–SaléRabat-Salé-Kénitra GMME Ativo 03/213.500 m
Sidi SlimaneRabat-Salé-Kénitra GMSL Ativo 08/263,445 m

Nenhuma base aérea corresponde a essa busca.


Ordem de batalha

Who is stationed where in the Royal Moroccan Air Force

Unidades voadoras por base, unidades atuais primeiro. Morocco publishes no order of battle, so the only current Moroccan unit tied to a base in the sources is the École Royale de l’Air at Marrakech; what each other base hosts rests on MAP, the press or Wikipedia, and each entry says which. The Strategic Air Command units that flew from Ben Guerir and Sidi Slimane until 1963 are listed and marked as not Moroccan. Where the sources disagree on a base’s number, the entry gives both.

Ben Guerir Air Base · GMMGRoyal Moroccan Air Force; numbered the 1st base by Wikipedia and the 6th by Morocco World News and Hespress
3926th Air Base Group (USAF)
Boeing B-47 Stratojet (rotational), Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter (rotational)
Sidi Slimane Air Base · GMSLRoyal Moroccan Air Force, 5th air base
5th Air Division (USAF)1954–1958
Boeing B-47 Stratojet (rotational)
3906th Air Base Group (later Combat Support Group) (USAF)
Boeing B-47 Stratojet, Convair B-36 Peacemaker, North American F-86D Sabre
Marrakech (Base École des Forces Royales Air) · GMMXÉcole Royale de l’Air
École Royale de l’Air (Royal Air School)ERA · Air academy · active

Nenhuma unidade corresponde a essa pesquisa.


Linha do tempo

Royal Moroccan Air Force milestones, 1914 to today

1956

14 May: the air arm is formed as the Sherifian Royal Aviation (Aviation Royale Chérifienne), weeks after independence.

1961

The Soviet Union delivers 12 MiG-17s, two MiG-15UTIs and two or four Il-28 bombers.

1963

25 September–30 October: the Sand War with Algeria; transports, T-6s and Alcyons fly in support. The Bamako Accord ends the fighting.

1964

1 February: renamed the Royal Air Force (Forces Royales Air).

1966

The first of 22 F-5As, two F-5Bs and two RF-5As arrive from the United States (deliveries to 1974).

1973

19 October: a Moroccan F-5A squadron joins the Egyptian 69 Squadron at Tanta during the Yom Kippur War.

1975

December: 25 Mirage F1CH ordered from France; the Western Sahara war begins as Spain withdraws.

1979

October: Mirage F1s fly their first combat missions against the Polisario. Alpha Jet deliveries begin (24 by 1981).

1982

A Boeing 707-138B is converted into a tanker for the Western Sahara war.

1984

The Marche Verte aerobatic team is created on the order of King Hassan II.

1991

6 September: the UN-monitored ceasefire between Morocco and the Polisario takes effect.

2005

France helps upgrade 27 Mirage F1s to the MF2000 standard.

2011

July: F-16C/D deliveries begin (24 by August 2012). 26 July: a C-130H crashes near Guelmim, killing 78–80.

2015

10 May: Morocco says an F-16 on the Saudi-led coalition campaign is missing over Yemen; the Houthis claim to have shot it down.

2019

25 March: the US approves 25 F-16 Block 72s and the F-16V upgrade. Morocco ends its part in the Yemen campaign.

2020

13 November: Moroccan forces enter Guerguerat and the Polisario declares the ceasefire over.

2025

5 March: the first six AH-64E Apaches are received at the 1st Air Base, Salé.

2026

April: second Apache batch. 31 August: contract for two F-16 Block 72 simulators at Sidi Slimane.


Histórico de combate

Every war the Royal Moroccan Air Force has fought

Missões e perdas onde constam nos registros, e um espaço em branco honesto onde não constam.

6conflitos
1963Primeiro
1Aeronave perdida
1Morto
  • The Sand War 1963 Reconnaissance, transport and some ground attack in support of the army
  • The Yom Kippur War deployment to Egypt 1973–1974 An F-5A squadron reinforced the Egyptian Air Force
  • The Western Sahara War 1975–1991 Close air support, interdiction and reconnaissance against the Polisario Front throughout the war; air refuelling from 1982
  • Strikes against the Islamic State 2014 F-16s flew combat missions against ISIL from the United Arab Emirates
  • The Saudi-led intervention in Yemen 2015–2019 Six F-16s took part in the Saudi-led coalition air campaign

Abra o registro completo do combate


Equipes de exibição

The Royal Moroccan Air Force display team

Each team has its own page: history, aircraft, the display, the accidents and the sources.


Perguntas e Respostas

Everything people ask about the Royal Moroccan Air Force

What is the Royal Moroccan Air Force called in Arabic and French?
In Arabic it is القوات الملكية الجوية (al-Quwwat al-Malakiya al-Jawiya) and in French Forces Royales Air (FRA), the spellings used by the state news agency MAP. It was founded in 1956 as the Sherifian Royal Aviation (Aviation Royale Chérifienne) and took its present name on 1 February 1964. The English name used here follows the English Wikipedia article title.
Which fighter jets does the Royal Moroccan Air Force fly?
Three types: about 23 F-16C/D Fighting Falcons delivered in 2011–2012, about 25 Mirage F1s upgraded to the MF2000 standard, and about 22 F-5E/F Tiger IIIs. The figures are Wikipedia’s, citing FlightGlobal and the IISS; Morocco does not publish its fleet. Alpha Jets serve as advanced trainers and light attack aircraft.
Has Morocco received the F-16 Block 72?
Not publicly, as of October 2026. The US approved 25 F-16 Block 72s on 25 March 2019 for an estimated 3.787 billion dollars, and a 2021 report expected them in 2024, but no delivery had been announced in the sources checked. Work is clearly under way: on 31 August 2026 the US Air Force contracted CAE for two Block 72 simulators at Sidi Slimane Air Base, due by April 2029.
Is Morocco buying the F-35?
Not confirmed. In October 2025 Hespress, citing Africa Intelligence, reported that talks with the United States had reached an advanced stage after clearances under the US commitment to Israel’s qualitative military edge. Neither government had announced a sale in the sources checked.
What happened to the Moroccan F-16 lost over Yemen?
On 10 May 2015 Morocco said one of the six F-16s it had committed to the Saudi-led coalition had gone missing over Yemen with its pilot. The Houthis claimed to have shot it down over Saada and Yemeni state television showed wreckage; other accounts attribute the loss to a technical failure. The pilot was killed. Morocco left the coalition campaign in 2019.
How many aircraft did Morocco lose in the Western Sahara war?
Morocco has never published a figure. The most detailed count, from the Helion history by Tom Cooper and colleagues as cited on Wikipedia, gives 12 Mirage F1s shot down by the Polisario (four pilots killed, five captured) and either 15 F-5s or nine F-5As, depending on which Wikipedia article you read, plus an Alpha Jet in December 1985. The war ran from 1975 to the ceasefire of 6 September 1991.
Does Morocco use armed drones in Western Sahara?
Moroccan media report that it does, east of the berm since the ceasefire broke down in November 2020, for example a strike near Mahbes on 15 May 2025 that they say killed a senior Polisario commander. The Royal Armed Forces do not confirm individual strikes. Morocco has flown Israeli Herons since 2014 and Turkish Bayraktar TB2s since 2021, and press reports say it has received the larger Akıncı.
What is the Marche Verte aerobatic team?
Marche Verte (Green March) is the Royal Air Force’s aerobatic team, created on the order of King Hassan II in 1984 and named after the 1975 march into Western Sahara. It flies CAP 232 propeller aerobatic aircraft, displays with seven or eight of them, and claims a world first in its mirror loop. It performed at the Dubai Airshow in November 2025.
When did Morocco get Apache helicopters?
The first six AH-64E Apaches were received at a ceremony at the 1st Air Base in Salé on 5 March 2025, with the commander of US Africa Command present. A second batch followed in April 2026. Morocco ordered 24 under a 2020 agreement, with an option on 12 more.
Who commands the Royal Moroccan Air Force?
King Mohammed VI is Supreme Commander of the Royal Armed Forces. The air force is run by its Inspector, Major General (Général de Division Aérienne) Mohammed Gadih, so named by MAP in 2024 and 2025; the date of his appointment was not found.



Fontes e Leitura Complementar

Todos os fatos foram verificados.

Dados verificados em 01/10/2026. As páginas da Ordem de Batalha são geradas a partir de um único conjunto de dados; se algum número aqui divergir de uma página do Livro das Feras, esta página será considerada a mais recente.

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