Israeli defence company Elbit Systems is looking to expand its business into North Africa, announcing its inaugural participation at the Marrakech Air Show 2026.

The Moroccan exhibition indicates the deepening security normalisation between Jerusalem and Rabat, with Elbit previously sealing a $150mn procurement deal that equipped the Moroccan military with the PULS rocket artillery system, with deliveries actively deploying through 2026.

At the centre of Elbit’s exhibition is the Hermes 900 intelligence and surveillance UAV, flanked by the combat-proven PULS platform and the SkyStriker loitering munition. Such developments have amassed global interest, with Elbit recording a $30bn order backlog in Q2 of 2026. 

Among some of Elbit’s most important customers is the US Navy, which secured a combined $127mn in contracts with Elbit and Israel Aerospace Industries, and the Royal Thai Air Force, which procured Elbit Systems' MPR-500 penetration bombs and Lizard III guidance kits

The strategic deployment to the Royal Moroccan Air Force base closely follows a surge in Elbit's domestic valuation. Shares recently jumped 6% in Tel Aviv trading to ILS 2,215, pushing the defence manufacturer's market capitalisation back above the critical ILS100bn threshold before encountering a 2% negative arbitrage gap on October 6.

The company is also heavily marketing its airborne defence architecture, including the MINI MUSIC system designed to shield aircraft from shoulder-fired missiles, alongside the SPECTRO-12 multi-spectral intelligence payload.

Despite the high-profile regional marketing push, the exhibition does not guarantee immediate financial returns for the Israeli firm. The strategic showcase "does not include a new contract or order and therefore does not in itself increase Elbit's order backlog," Bizportal said. However, positioning heavy artillery and advanced UAVs directly on Moroccan soil signals a calculated effort to secure secondary procurement contracts across the increasingly militarised North African landscape.