The Royal Moroccan Air Force (RMAF) flies combat drones built in Turkey and China. They will now carry weapons from the United Arab Emirates. On Oct. 9, at the Marrakech Air Show 2026, the Abu Dhabi-based EDGE group signed a contract with Morocco's Administration of National Defence (ADN). Under it, EDGE will supply two families of precision-guided weapons, the DESERT STING 16 small guided bomb and the THUNDER P-31 bomb guidance kit, and integrate them on the RMAF's unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) fleet.

The two sides also signed a second agreement, a memorandum of understanding on local production in Morocco. None of the sources we reviewed gives the contract value or the number of weapons involved, including Gulf News.

What Morocco Is Buying

The contract covers two weapons that work in different ways.

DESERT STING 16 (DS-16) is a 23 kg guided glide weapon with a stated range of up to 15 km, according to the EDGE release carried by EDR Magazine.

THUNDER P-31 is not a complete munition. It is a kit that turns an unguided Mk 81 general-purpose bomb into a guided weapon. Janes describes the P-31 as the Thunder version for the 250 lb Mk 81. EDGE quotes a range of up to 10 km when the bomb is released from a UAV, and up to 20 km from high-speed, high-altitude platforms.

EDGE says both weapons combine GNSS-assisted inertial navigation with an optional semi-active laser (SAL) seeker. EDGE says both weapons are developed and manufactured in the UAE.

EDGE will also do the aircraft modifications and software integration, according to the company release and Gulf News. Who integrates the weapons is a key detail in the deal, as the sections below explain.

A Gulf Supplier Inside a Mixed Fleet

Morocco says little publicly about its armed drones. According to Janes, the RMAF is secretive about its UCAVs but is known to operate the Bayraktar TB2, the larger Bayraktar Akinci and the Wing Loong II. The TB2 and Akinci are Turkish designs and the Wing Loong II is Chinese. Morocco has also acquired Israeli Heron drones, but Janes notes those have never been confirmed as weapons-capable.

The UAE also flies all three of those armed types, according to Janes. For that reason the deal is less unusual than it first looks. Janes reports that DESERT STING has already been integrated on the TB2 for the UAE air force. In May, EDGE also signed an agreement covering integration of its more capable Al Tariq bomb-guidance kit on the Akinci.

Thunder is a different case. Janes says there had been no previous indication that the Thunder series had been integrated on any unmanned aircraft. The contract therefore appears to commit EDGE to new work: integrating a Mk 81-based guided bomb on one or more of Morocco's drone types.

The Integration Unknowns

The public announcements leave several questions unanswered.

  • Which aircraft get which weapon? The contract covers the RMAF's UCAV fleet, but none of the sources say which weapon goes on which airframe. The TB2 already carries DS-16 in UAE service, so it is the obvious first candidate for that weapon. The sources do not say which Moroccan drone, if any, would carry a 250 lb-class Thunder P-31.
  • How much access will EDGE get? EDGE says it will handle aircraft modifications and software. The airframes are Turkish and Chinese designs, and none of the sources say whether or how the original manufacturers are involved.
  • Which seekers will be fitted? EDGE describes the SAL seeker as optional on both weapons. Janes says the Thunders will have SAL seekers and that the Desert Sting 16s will also have the optional seeker, but the EDGE release and the other reports do not say what Morocco ordered.
  • How many, how much, and when? Quantities, contract value and delivery schedule were not disclosed in the sources reviewed.

The Industrial Side: Small Arms and Aero Engines

The second agreement points toward longer-term industrial ties. Morocco World News reported that EDGE and ADN signed an MoU to identify opportunities to produce high-performance small arms and aeronautical engines in Morocco with Moroccan companies.

Two EDGE entities are named. CARACAL designs and manufactures small arms and small-calibre ammunition, and POWERTECH develops aero engines and propulsion systems for unmanned and autonomous platforms. Hamad Al Marar, an EDGE executive, described the arrangement as building "an industrial backbone" for Morocco's defense requirements, according to the outlet. Marrakech 2026 was the second time EDGE has exhibited at the show.

An MoU is a commitment to explore opportunities, not a production order. Neither the outlet nor EDGE's statements give a timeline, a value or a site for any Moroccan production.

Why It Matters

The airframes in Morocco's fleet come from Turkey and China, and EDGE now supplies weapons and integration for them. If EDGE can make Thunder P-31 work on drones it did not design, it would show that weapons can be integrated across platforms from different suppliers. It could also give Morocco a second source of guided munitions for aircraft it already flies, though the sources do not say that is the aim.

For EDGE, the deal is another export win for its Missiles & Weapons business, alongside its TB2 and Akinci integration work. Saif Al Dahbashi, president of that business, said in the release that "every system we deliver is backed by assured supply and long-term sustainment." The release also cited EDGE's EUR 1 billion naval programme with Angola, comprising three BR71 MK II Combattante corvettes and six HT-100 NAVAL unmanned helicopters, as part of the company's wider push in Africa.

Some caution is needed. Much of the technical detail, including ranges, weights and guidance modes, comes from EDGE's own announcement and the reports that repeat it. Morocco has not said which of its drones will be armed, with which weapons, or when. The contract confirms the plan. Whether it works depends on integration and test results on aircraft EDGE does not build.

Sources