Excluded from French trade shows, seven Israeli arms manufacturers arrive in Marrakech
Seven Israeli defense companies will officially participate in the Marrakech Air Show. Several of these manufacturers, excluded from major trade shows held in France, will present missiles, drones, rocket launchers and air defense systems in Morocco.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Elbit Systems, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Xtend, Shilat, Uvision and Orbit Technologies are expected from 7 to 10 October at the Marrakech Royal Moroccan Air Force base.
This collective presence will constitute an official first for Israeli manufacturers at the Moroccan air show, reports the Jerusalem Post. The companies will seek to strengthen their presence in a defense market historically occupied by French and American groups.
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IAI will have one of the most prominent showcases. The group will present the Barak, its family of air defense systems, as well as LORA, a long-range precision strike weapon. Its program also includes the Heron MK II drone, OPAL collaborative combat technology and communications satellites.
The manufacturer also intends to promote its aircraft maintenance services and the conversion of passenger transport aircraft into cargo planes. On its official website, IAI confirms that it is seeking local partners to develop industrial cooperation, share knowledge and organize technology transfers.
Elbit Systems, for its part, is to display the PULS multiple rocket launcher, the Lizard precision-guidance kits and the SPECTRO multispectral electro-optical system. Several drones and tactical munitions are also on the program, including the Hermes 900, the THOR and the TerminaTHOR system.
The equipment that Rafael, Xtend, Shilat, Uvision and Orbit Technologies will bring to Marrakech has not yet been detailed. Their participation nevertheless confirms the Israeli industry’s desire to present an offering covering air defense, drones, loitering munitions, communications and precision strike.
From Paris to Marrakech
This arrival comes after Israeli companies were excluded from the Eurosatory trade show in 2024 and the Paris Air Show in 2025. French authorities had cited the context of the wars in Gaza and Lebanon, arguing that the conditions necessary for their participation had not been met.
Israeli manufacturers had strongly contested these decisions, believing that they favored their competitors. They will now present several similar categories of weapons in Marrakech, alongside the French groups Airbus, Thales, Safran and Dassault, which have historically been established within Morocco’s aerospace and military ecosystem.
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The Marrakech Air Show is thus becoming a new competitive arena between the French and Israeli defense industries. The former retain a longstanding presence in Morocco, while the latter are making progress in the fields of drones, air defense, artillery and space technologies.
