TAS facility to further enhance India-Morocco defence, defence industrial cooperation: Indian envoy to Morocco

Speaking to ANI following the inauguration of the facility on Tuesday, Rana said that this move was a significant overseas investment by Tata, which will produce armoured wheel platforms for the Royal Armed Forces of Morocco, bolstering the strategic partnership between New Delhi and Rabat.

"Raksha Mantri inaugurated a Tata Advanced System facility, and this plant, which is a major investment by Tata abroad, will produce armoured wheel platforms for use by the Royal Armed Forces of Morocco. This is one of a kind. It will further enhance our defence cooperation and defence industrial collaboration. This will also feed into the strategic partnership that is developing between our two countries," he said.

Speaking on the Defence Minister's two-day visit to Morocco, Ambassador Rana highlighted the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defence cooperation between Rajnath Singh and his Moroccan counterpart.

"This visit is a milestone in India-Morocco relations... Yesterday (Monday), the Raksha Mantri, along with the defence minister of Morocco, signed an MoU on defence cooperation, which will provide for training together, building capacities and also defence and industrial collaboration," Rana stated.

Earlier on Tuesday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Morocco's Defence Minister Abdelatif Loudyi jointly inaugurated Tata Advanced Systems Limited's (TASL) state-of-the-art defence manufacturing facility in Berrechid, Morocco.

According to an official release from the Ministry of Defence, Rajnath Singh described the occasion as a historic moment in the evolving strategic partnership between India and Morocco.

Spanning 20,000 square metres, the facility will produce the indigenously developed Wheeled Armoured Platform (WhAP) 8x8, jointly designed by TASL and India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

The WhAP is a modern modular combat platform equipped with advanced mobility, protection and mission adaptability. Its features, such as a survivable monocoque hull with scalable ballistic and mine protection, independent suspension, a central tyre inflation system and a high-power engine, ensure superior off-road performance, as stated in the release.

Under its contract with the Government of Morocco, TASL will deliver WhAP 8x8 vehicles to the Royal Moroccan Army, with initial deliveries scheduled to begin next month.

It is the Kingdom of Morocco's largest defence manufacturing facility, marking the first such plant by an Indian private company in Africa.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Rajnath Singh and his Moroccan counterpart signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defence cooperation.

The MoU establishes a robust institutional framework for the growing partnership and paves the way for collaboration in the defence industry, joint exercises, military training, and capacity building. (ANI)