African Lion 2026 Launches in Morocco With Drones, Cyber, Link-16 Focus

Marrakech – More than 400 multinational service members gathered in Agadir, Morocco, on April 20 to begin the academic phase of African Lion 2026, the largest annual joint military exercise on the African continent.

The 10-day academic program, running through May 1 at Southern Zone Headquarters, features 22 intensive courses covering unmanned aerial systems, cyberspace defense, satellite operations, electronic warfare, and space integration. It serves as the operational foundation for the broader exercise, which runs from April 20 to May 8 across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal, and Tunisia.

“The academic program is designed to enhance technical expertise, accelerate decision-making, and improve operational effectiveness across all domains, three elements critical to shortening the decision cycle in modern conflict,” noted US Marine Maj. Keefe Murtaugh, AL26 academics coordinator.

Courses range from entry-level instruction to advanced operational planning. UAS training covers both tactical execution for operators and operational integration for senior NCOs and officers. A new advanced electronic warfare and space course builds on last year’s basic program, pushing participants to integrate with satellite operations for the first time.

A 10-day cyberspace operations course anchors the exercise’s focus on modern threats. US Army 1st Lt. Mason Elizondo, assigned to the 183rd Cyber Protection Team, is training Moroccan forces to defend critical infrastructure and conduct independent threat hunts across Windows, Linux, and cloud environments.

“We’re not just imparting knowledge on them, we’re also getting knowledge from them,” Elizondo remarked, describing the Moroccan participants as proficient and knowledgeable.

The broader exercise involves approximately 5,600 personnel from more than 40 nations. On the US Air Force side, around 100 active-duty, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve personnel are participating, reflecting what the service calls Total Force integration.

Units include the 88th Aerial Port Squadron, the 1st Combat Communications Squadron from Ramstein Air Base, and Air National Guard squadrons from multiple states deploying to Morocco and Tunisia.

“AL26 is a critical opportunity to enhance readiness and our ability to operate seamlessly with our African and international partners in a complex, multi-domain environment,” stated US Air Force Lt. Gen. Jason Hinds, USAFE-AFAFRICA commander.

The ambition extends beyond a single exercise

A significant technical milestone preceded the exercise. During the AL26 final planning event on February 3, US and Moroccan forces conducted the first interoperability test of secure Link-16 datalink communications with an African partner nation. The test established encrypted ultra-high frequency voice and text messaging between Moroccan and US tactical terminals.

“This effort tested Morocco’s ability to integrate into a coalition force through a highly survivable, encrypted, and jam-resistant tactical data link,” explained US Marine Corps Maj. Kyle Repetti, operations officer with US Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa, in an April 14 press statement. 

US Air Force Master Sgt. Babak Kermanshahi, who helped lead the effort, described it as a foundation for African Lion 2027 planning and future real-time situational awareness.

The exercise comes less than a week after US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hosted Morocco’s Delegate Minister for National Defense Abdellatif Loudiyi and FAR Inspector General Mohamed Berrid in Washington for the 14th Morocco-US Defense Consultative Committee.

The two sides signed a new 10-year defense cooperation roadmap covering 2026-2036, expanding the partnership into defense industries and cybersecurity. 

The exercise also carries weight beyond training. At the African Land Forces Summit in Rome on March 23-24, Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of US Army Europe and Africa, announced plans to establish Africa’s first dedicated drone training center in Morocco.

The hub will train operators from across the continent in small UAS, loitering munitions, counter-drone systems, and integrated electronic warfare.

“It is about a sustainable, enduring capability,” Donahue told attendees. “Once we prove its effectiveness, we can take it to other parts of Africa.”

The industrial momentum mirrors the training agenda

The initiative will use African Lion 2026 as its initial proving ground before scaling into a permanent, AFRICOM-backed regional facility. Morocco’s readiness for that role draws on a rapidly expanding defense-industrial base anchored in the Benslimane province, roughly 50 kilometers southeast of Casablanca.

Israeli company BlueBird Aero Systems, a subsidiary of state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), broke ground on a SpyX loitering munition production facility in Benslimane in April 2024. Construction slowed following the outbreak of the Gaza genocide, but the factory is now set to be inaugurated and enter service this month, according to Maroc Hebdo.

A Moroccan technical team underwent hands-on training at BlueBird’s Israeli facilities in November 2025 ahead of the production launch. The SpyX is a man-portable system with a 50-kilometer operational radius, up to two hours of loiter time, and a 2.5-kilogram warhead. It is the first loitering munition production line of its kind in North Africa or the Middle East outside Israel.

Turkey’s leading drone manufacturer, Baykar, is also advancing in Benslimane. Its Moroccan subsidiary, Atlas Defense, was registered with the Moroccan Trade Registry on December 5, 2024, and carries a paid-up capital of MAD 2.5 million ($250,000). The company is jointly owned in equal shares by Lutfu Haluk Bayraktar and Selçuk Bayraktar, the latter being the son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Baykar recently launched recruitment for five technical positions at the site, including a test pilot and electronics technician, centered on UAV maintenance, repair, overhaul, and flight testing.

Morocco first received 13 Bayraktar TB2 armed drones in September 2021 in a deal reportedly worth $70 million and took delivery of additional units in August 2024. The Royal Armed Forces (FAR) also announced the acquisition of Baykar’s more advanced Akinci combat drone in 2025.

Both the BlueBird and Baykar facilities share Benslimane’s industrial zone with Lockheed Martin’s planned maintenance and modernization center for Morocco’s F-16 and C-130 Hercules fleet.

French drone manufacturer Delair is the latest entrant. The Toulouse-based company pledged the opening of a subsidiary called Delair Africa, headquartered in Rabat, with an initial team of around 10 staff focused on logistics support for regional clients.

Delair has delivered drones to several African countries since 2019, including Niger, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Chad, and Mauritania. Morocco’s Royal Gendarmerie acquired around 15 of its DT-26 surveillance drones in 2021.

Back in Agadir, the academic phase continues to build cross-border connections. US Army 1st Sgt. Travis Herman, teaching the NCO development course, offered a simple takeaway from working alongside the FAR.

“From training alongside our partners and our allies, I just continue to learn that we are more similar than we are different,” he reflected. “They want the same things that we want for our Soldiers, readiness.”

Read also: Morocco-US Relations: A Strategic Partnership Forged by Vision and Continuity

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