Official: Morocco and India Inaugurate Strategic Armored Vehicle Plant in Berrechid
ALDAR / Iman Alaoui
Morocco’s National Defense Administration and India’s Ministry of Defense have officially announced the inauguration of a new factory in Berrechid operated by “Tata Advanced Systems Morocco.” This is Tata’s first production facility outside India dedicated to the manufacturing of military vehicles.
The plant will begin producing the WhAP 8×8 armored combat vehicle for the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, with part of the output also intended for international markets. This positions Morocco as a potential regional hub for the production and export of defense systems.
The project marks a major step forward for the national defense industry, starting with a local integration rate of 35 percent, which is expected to gradually increase to 50 percent as the supplier base expands and technological capacities develop.
The plant will create around 90 direct jobs and more than 250 indirect jobs, boosting economic development in the Berrechid region and giving a strong push to industrial value chains linked to the defense sector. The investment is seen as a cornerstone of Morocco’s path toward self-sufficiency in defense equipment, reducing dependence on imports through technology transfer and the establishment of an integrated industrial ecosystem.
It also aligns with Morocco’s broader vision of building sovereign industries that enhance its strategic position regionally and globally, with expansion opportunities into African and European markets seeking modern and reliable military solutions.
This cooperation reflects the strength of Morocco–India relations and underscores the two countries’ shared ambition to strengthen a long-term industrial partnership capable of addressing current security and military challenges, at a time when advanced and competitive defense capabilities are increasingly in demand worldwide.
