In its 2026 report to Parliament on French arms exports, published on August 12, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces explicitly lists Morocco among the countries that concluded one of France’s major defense contracts that took effect in 2025, specifically for Caracal helicopters.
The mention is particularly significant as it comes after months of negotiations, the details of which had gradually emerged in both the French and Moroccan press. However, the report does not specify either the number of helicopters involved or the exact value of the contract. Morocco’s Caracal order should therefore be distinguished from the €532.1 million in total French defense orders recorded for Morocco in 2025.
That figure nevertheless offers a striking indication of the revival in military trade between Rabat and Paris. In 2024, French defense orders for Morocco amounted to just €13.1 million. In 2025, they surged to €532.1 million, their highest annual level since the French ministry began publishing the data series in 2016. Over the past decade, Morocco’s cumulative French defense orders have reached €1.3251 billion.
Morocco’s interest in the Caracal dates back several years. Rabat had reportedly considered the heavy-lift helicopter, manufactured by Airbus Helicopters, as part of efforts to replace an aging helicopter fleet.
The talks gained new momentum ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Morocco from October 28 to 30, 2024. At the time, the French press reported an ambitious proposal involving 18 H225M Caracals, including 12 for the Royal Moroccan Air Force and six for the Royal Gendarmerie, with the deal then estimated at between €600 million and €800 million.
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The contract was ultimately not announced during Macron’s visit. Negotiations continued over several aspects of the deal, including the helicopters’ configuration, price and contractual terms. La Tribune reported at the time that Airbus Helicopters was still negotiating with Rabat over around 10 aircraft, while the remaining helicopters could be included as an option.
The remaining uncertainty was lifted on November 18, 2025, when Airbus Helicopters announced that it had signed a contract with Morocco for the acquisition of 10 H225M helicopters.
The French report published this week now provides institutional confirmation of that announcement, listing Morocco’s order among the country’s major defense contracts that took effect in 2025.
The revival of military ties between Morocco and France is part of a broader process that began in 2024. In July of that year, Rabat and Paris agreed to establish an arms committee during a visit to Morocco by Emmanuel Chiva, then France’s Director General for Armament. The aim was to create a more structured framework for industrial and defense capability cooperation between the two countries.
A few months later, Macron’s visit to Rabat was expected to give the partnership further momentum. Military discussions held during the visit included the helicopter deal, while the presence of Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even in the French delegation fueled speculation that the contract could be announced. That announcement did not materialize at the time.
The process continued into 2025, eventually leading to the entry into force of the order now listed in the French report.
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Morocco’s choice of the H225M Caracal is significant. Derived from the Super Puma family and manufactured by Airbus Helicopters, the aircraft is designed for demanding military missions, including tactical transport, special operations, medical evacuation and combat search and rescue.
Within the French armed forces, the Caracal is used for precisely these types of missions. France’s General Directorate for Armament notes that the helicopter is operated by the French Air and Space Force and is regularly deployed in overseas operations. In June 2026, the DGA delivered the eighth and final H225M from an order of eight helicopters intended, among other purposes, to replace Puma helicopters stationed overseas.
For the Royal Moroccan Air Force, the arrival of new helicopters in this category could significantly strengthen long-range transport and deployment capabilities while providing a platform suited to rescue missions and special forces support.
Fleet renewal is also a major consideration. Part of Morocco’s Puma helicopter fleet belongs to an older generation, making the Caracal acquisition not only a capability upgrade but also part of a broader modernization program for its rotary-wing fleet.
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The figure published by the French ministry deserves particular attention.
In 2025, French companies recorded €532.1 million in defense orders for Morocco, compared with €13.1 million in 2024. The report also records €83.3 million in French defense deliveries to Morocco and 42 approved export licenses.
However, the €532.1 million figure cannot be presented as the value of the Caracal contract. The report aggregates all French defense orders for Morocco while separately listing the Caracal helicopters among the year’s major contracts. The exact value of the helicopter deal is not specified in the document.
The distinction matters because it avoids the misleading assumption that the entire value of French defense orders recorded for Morocco in 2025 was linked solely to the Caracal program.
Still, the year-on-year increase is considerable. At €532.1 million, Morocco accounted for almost all French defense orders destined for North Africa in 2025. Between 2016 and 2025, the Kingdom accumulated €1.3251 billion in French defense orders.
Beyond the Caracal deal, the new French figures therefore point to a much broader revival of the defense industrial partnership between Rabat and Paris.
The helicopter contract is part of a relationship that now appears to be moving beyond a simple buyer-supplier model. The creation of the Franco-Moroccan arms committee in 2024 provides an institutional framework intended to facilitate cooperation between the two countries’ defense establishments and industries.
For Airbus Helicopters, the Moroccan market could also offer opportunities beyond the delivery of aircraft. Discussions have raised the possibility of establishing a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) center in Morocco, which could support the helicopters and potentially serve as a hub for West Africa.
If that industrial dimension materializes, the Caracal program could become one of the defining markers of a new phase in defense cooperation between Morocco and France.
