Germany and France compete for Morocco’s submarine contract to weaken Russia in the arms market
4.03.2025 - 13:09
Morocco plans to purchase two submarines, and the fight for the contract is between four European shipyards and Russia.
The Royal Moroccan Navy has announced its intention to purchase two submarines, which has intensified competition between leading European manufacturers. Gospodarka Morska writes about this.
Four European shipbuilding companies are competing for the right to supply equipment, including the French Naval Group and the German ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS). The main rival is Russia, which is gradually losing its position in the global arms market.
The French Naval Group is actively lobbying for the sale of Scorpene-class submarines to Morocco and is ready to take over the maintenance of a new shipyard in Casablanca. According to the manufacturer, the Scorpene is a quiet and autonomous submarine that can be adapted to the coastal operations of the Moroccan fleet.
Similar submarines are already in use by the navies of Chile, Malaysia, Brazil and India. The French consortium has been negotiating with Morocco since 2021 and already has an advantage thanks to the supply of multi-purpose frigates to the kingdom.
In turn, the German TKMS offers the HDW class Dolphin AIP and HDW class 209/1400mod submarines. The Dolphin’s feature is an integrated fuel cell system, which ensures high autonomy. Four models of the HDW 209/1400 class are already in service with Egypt.
In addition to France and Germany, shipyards from Greece and Portugal are participating in the tender, offering Morocco used submarines at a lower price.
Russia, on the other hand, expects to sell Morocco the Amur 1650 diesel-electric submarine, a modern fourth-generation submarine.
If Morocco gives preference to European manufacturers, this will be further evidence of the decline of the Russian defense complex. The war in Ukraine, dependence on North Korean and Iranian weapons, and economic sanctions have undermined Russia’s position on the global market. Last year, Russian arms sales fell by 53%, and France overtook Russia to become the world’s second-largest arms exporter after the United States.
In recent years, Morocco has been engaged in a military rivalry with neighboring Algeria, which has the largest submarine fleet in Africa. The Algerian Navy is armed with Russian-made Kilo-class submarines equipped with Kalibr missile systems capable of attacking sea and land targets.
Morocco’s choice of European suppliers is expected to not only hit Russia’s military industry, but also change the balance of power in the region.
As previously reported by USM, the United Kingdom has opened a new nuclear submarine maintenance center.
