As part of the continued strengthening of its military arsenal, Morocco has begun preliminary negotiations for the acquisition of the Israeli Delilah cruise missile from the manufacturer Elbit Systems for its F-5s.
According to the specialized forum FAR-Morocco, citing Israeli sources, negotiations between the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and the Israeli defense company Elbit Systems are progressing with a view to signing a contract for the acquisition of cruise missiles from Delilah type medium range.
If these negotiations are successful, it would be the first cruise missile to integrate the arsenal of the Moroccan Air Force. This agreement is also of great importance for Morocco in terms of modernizing and developing its military capabilities.
The Delilah, developed several years ago by Israel Military Industries (IMI, now part of Elbit Systems), is capable of accurately hitting high-value land and mobile targets over a range of over 250 kilometers. It is a combat proven missile through its use from various aerial platforms.
Within the Moroccan army, the Delilah would mainly be used on its F-5 fighter planes of its air force, which the Kingdom plans to modernize by equipping them with advanced avionics technologies, control radar AESA firing range, digital displays and advanced data link. Advanced sensor systems, jamming systems as well as a range of modern air-to-ground and air-to-air weaponry would complement these upgrades.
In addition, Delilah missiles provide millimeter precision in precise and targeted attacks against moving, stationary or moving targets. It is equipped with an advanced electro-optical (E/O) guidance system for day, night and all-weather operations, notably reaching a cruising speed ranging from Mach 0.5 to 0, 7 per hour.
The Delilah offers pre-programmed mission capability with post-launch updates, as well as man-in-the-loop decision-making capability for target identification and final attack approval , enabling real-time target identification, target acquisition, attack (or re-attack), and battle damage assessment.
It is designed to hit targets in coastal waters and on the high seas, as well as land targets. A unique feature is that it has a turbojet capable of loitering, allowing it to target well-hidden threats in addition to moving targets, while its maneuverability makes the missile ideal for destroying surface-to-air missile threats.