Israeli-Built Weapons Systems in African Military Service

Israeli-built air defence, artillery, drone and small-arms systems have entered African military inventories through a mix of signed contracts, reported deliveries and unconfirmed press claims. This gallery reviews six systems with documented or credibly reported African use, naming the operator, the acquisition status and the primary sourcing for each.

DEFENCE AFRICA | Evergreen gallery | Data as of October 2026

Israel’s defence exports to Africa have grown over the past decade, driven largely by diplomatic normalisation with Morocco under the 2020 Abraham Accords framework and by African demand for layered air defence against drone and rocket threats. SIPRI’s Arms Transfers Database recorded Israel as the source of major-arms deliveries to seven African states between 2021 and 2025, a small share of Israel’s global exports but a growing one, concentrated in air defence radars, loitering munitions, artillery and surveillance drones.

Morocco accounts for most of the publicly documented volume, reflecting its 2020 normalisation agreement with Israel and a stated policy of diversifying away from exclusive reliance on French suppliers. Kenya’s December 2025 SPYDER purchase marked one of the first confirmed, loan-financed Israeli air defence sales to an East African state outside that bilateral track. Uganda’s drone fleet and a scatter of small-arms and artillery sales to other states round out a picture that remains far smaller, and far less transparent, than China’s or Türkiye’s African footprint.

1. SPYDER Mobile Air Defence System — operational in Kenya, reportedly elsewhere

Rafael’s SPYDER (Surface-to-air PYthon and DERby) is a mobile, short-to-medium-range air defence system combining Python-5 infrared and Derby radar-guided missiles on a truck-mounted launcher, directed by ELTA’s EL/M-2106 radar. Kenya (operational): the Kenya Defence Forces took delivery in mid-December 2025 under a roughly KSh 3.4 billion ($26 million) deal financed by an Israeli government-backed loan and tied to a bilateral security agreement between presidents Ruto and Netanyahu, according to The Defense Post and Defence-Blog (December 2025). The purchase followed years of rising drone and rocket proliferation across East Africa. Reported range figures for the system vary by source and are not independently verified here. Globes reported in 2024, citing unnamed foreign media, that Morocco had already acquired SPYDER, but neither Rabat nor Rafael has confirmed this, so it is treated here as an unconfirmed claim rather than a second operator entry.

2. Barak MX Air Defence System — delivered to Morocco, reportedly fielded

IAI’s Barak MX is a modular, multi-layer air and missile defence system that can fire interceptors of different ranges from a common launcher, directed by ELTA’s EL/M-2084 multi-mission radar. Morocco (delivered): IAI signed a contract with Morocco worth more than $500 million in February 2022, following a defence memorandum of understanding signed during then-Israeli defence minister Benny Gantz’s November 2021 visit (Globes, February 2022). Morocco World News and Moroccan military-watcher accounts reported the first component shipments arriving in mid-2023. Open-source satellite imagery analysed by regional outlets and relayed by Globes in early 2026 suggested the system had since been activated at the Sidi Yahya air defence base near Rabat, though this deployment claim rests on satellite and signals analysis rather than an official Moroccan or Israeli statement. DefenceMENA has covered the full acquisition timeline in Why Morocco Bought the Barak MX Air Defense System.

3. ATMOS 2000 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzer — contracted in Morocco, long-fielded in Rwanda

The ATMOS 2000, made by Elbit Systems’ Soltam unit, mounts a 155mm/52-calibre howitzer on a 6×6 truck chassis for rapid, unescorted deployment without a dedicated tracked carrier. Morocco (contracted): Rabat contracted 36 ATMOS 2000 units mounted on Czech Tatra 6×6 trucks in February 2025, a deal regional trade press linked to friction with French supplier KNDS over an earlier Caesar howitzer order, with some delivered Caesar units reportedly non-operational (Defence24, February 2025). Rwanda (operational): Army Recognition published imagery of Rwandan forces firing an ATMOS 2000 during a live-fire exercise on 4 November 2016, the earliest confirmed public evidence of the type in Rwandan service; Kigali has never officially announced the purchase, and the acquisition date is not independently confirmed beyond that 2016 sighting.

4. PULS Multiple Launch Rocket System — reported in Moroccan service

Elbit’s PULS (Precise and Universal Launching System) is a modular rocket artillery launcher that can fire Accular guided rockets (reported range to roughly 35km) and EXTRA guided missiles (reported range to roughly 150km) from the same chassis. Morocco (delivered): Elbit announced a roughly $150 million, three-year contract for PULS launchers and munitions with an unnamed international customer in 2023; Moroccan and Spanish outlets, citing imagery shared by Moroccan military-enthusiast accounts, identified the undisclosed buyer as Morocco (Army Recognition, 2023). Morocco World News reported in August 2025 that the Royal Armed Forces test-fired an EXTRA guided missile at its reported maximum range from a site in southeastern Morocco. Elbit has not publicly named Morocco as the customer, and no Moroccan government statement confirms the deal; the status here reflects converging trade-press and open-source reporting rather than an official announcement.

5. Hermes 900 UAV — reported operational in Uganda

The Hermes 900 (Kochav) is a medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV built by Elbit Systems for persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, with an advertised endurance of around 36 hours. Uganda (operational): Military Africa reported in 2022 that the Uganda People’s Defence Force was fielding roughly two dozen MALE UAVs believed to be Hermes 900s, reportedly supplied around 2019; defenceWeb has separately described a new Ugandan MALE UAV it identifies the same way. Neither Kampala nor Elbit has published an official type confirmation, so the Hermes 900 identification itself, not just the delivery date, should be read as reported rather than officially verified. Separately, contractor-operated Hermes 900s have supported United Nations peacekeeping reconnaissance in Mali, a non-national, UN-contracted use rather than an African air force acquisition. Israeli drones sit alongside Turkish and Chinese types in several regional fleets; see How Nigeria Built Its Turkish-Chinese Drone Fleet for a comparable case built mainly on other suppliers.

6. Tavor and X95 Bullpup Rifles — fielded across multiple African forces

Israel Weapon Industries’ Tavor and its shorter-barrelled X95 variant are bullpup 5.56mm assault rifles adopted by Israel’s own armed forces and marketed widely to export customers seeking a compact, modern infantry weapon. Nigeria (operational): Army Recognition reported in 2020 that the Tavor had become the standard combat rifle of the Nigerian Air Force Regiment, with the Nigerian Navy and the State Security Service also fielding it. Angola (operational): open-source small-arms identification places the X95 in Angolan Armed Forces service. Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire (operational): specialist small-arms observers have photographed Senegalese special operations personnel, including troops deployed with the UN mission in the Central African Republic, and Ivorian special forces carrying Tavor CTAR and X95 variants. None of these governments has issued a formal procurement announcement; the identifications rest on official photography and specialist small-arms observers rather than defence-ministry statements, and are treated here as reported rather than contractually confirmed.

Why it matters for Africa

Israeli suppliers remain a minor share of Africa’s arms imports next to China, Russia, Türkiye, France and the United States, but they fill specific niches: layered air defence against the drone and rocket threats that have proliferated across the Sahel and Horn of Africa, truck-mounted artillery that needs no dedicated tracked carrier, and persistent ISR drones for border and insurgency monitoring. Morocco’s cluster of contracts illustrates how diplomatic normalisation can open a defence-industrial channel quickly, with Israeli systems arriving alongside, rather than replacing, long-standing French and American suppliers. Kenya’s SPYDER purchase shows a second pattern: a loan-financed, government-to-government deal tied to a bilateral security relationship rather than a competitive tender. For militaries across the continent facing low-cost drone and rocket threats with limited budgets, these programmes offer a data point on cost, financing structure and delivery timelines that planners elsewhere can weigh against Chinese, Turkish and Western alternatives. The scarcity of official confirmation for several of these deals, however, also illustrates a broader transparency gap in African procurement reporting that complicates independent verification.

Sources

• The Defense Post: Kenya receives SPYDER air defense system (December 2025)
• Globes: IAI agrees $500m missile defense systems deal with Morocco (February 2022)
• Globes: Morocco completes deployment of IAI air defense system — report
• Army Recognition: Rwanda armed forces equipped with ATMOS and PLZ-89 howitzers
• Army Recognition: Armed forces of Morocco equipped with Israeli PULS MLRS rocket launcher systems (2023)
• Morocco World News: Morocco tests Israeli EXTRA missile at maximum range (August 2025)
• Military Africa: Uganda acquires Hermes 900 surveillance drone
• Army Recognition: Israeli Tavor bullpup assault rifle becomes standard combat rifle of Nigerian Air Force Regiment (2020)
• SIPRI Arms Transfers Database