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5 November 2026·2 min read

According to EDR Magazine, Morocco reportedly dropped plans to upgrade its 23 F-16 Block 52+ to the F-16V standard, a program Washington approved in March 2019 for an estimated $985.2 million. No official confirmation is given in the source.

Upgrade of Morocco's 23 F-16s: Rabat reportedly drops the nearly one-billion-dollar programme

Morocco has reportedly abandoned plans to upgrade its 23 F-16 Block 52+ jets to the F-16V standard, known as Viper. The information comes from EDR Magazine, a specialist publication that says it obtained it at the Marrakech Airshow. According to the magazine, the Royal Moroccan Air Force no longer intends to carry out this transformation. For now, this is reported information, with no official confirmation in the source.

The programme had nonetheless received the green light from Washington in March 2019. The United States had approved a Moroccan request for the modernisation of these 23 fighters, at an estimated cost of 985.2 million dollars. Now, only safety improvements are reportedly planned. The major work would essentially be limited to the installation of Auto-GCAS, the automatic ground collision avoidance system, which prevents crashes.

Meanwhile, the acquisition of 25 new F-16 Block 72 jets is continuing. The first aircraft, a two-seat F-16D bearing the number 8041, made its maiden flight on 6 October from the Lockheed Martin plant in Greenville, United States. These aircraft will notably be fitted with the AN/APG-83 AESA radar and long-range air-to-air missiles.

Also according to EDR, which gathered the information at the Marrakech show, the first Block 72s could join Morocco between late 2027 and early 2028. Two postings are being considered: replacing the Mirage F1s of the squadrons at Sidi Slimane, or joining the Ben Guerir base, where the F-16 Block 52+ jets are currently stationed.

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