Morocco has about 271 military aircraft, including roughly 84 fighters and 73 helicopters, according to Global Firepower’s 2026 estimate. Morocco does not publish an official count. The documented core of the Royal Moroccan Air Force is a fleet of F-16C/D Block 52s, 23 of them still on strength after one was lost over Yemen in 2015, backed by upgraded Mirage F1s, F-5s and Alpha Jets, and a fast-growing Apache force: 19 of 24 AH-64Es had been delivered by late October 2026. A further 24-25 F-16 Block 72s are on order; the first flew in October 2026 but none had been delivered.
Photo: A Royal Moroccan Air Force F-16 at the 2016 Marrakech Airshow. Credit: US Department of Defense / TSgt Brian Kimball, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Quick answer
Total military aircraft: about 271 (Global Firepower 2026, estimate). Fighters: about 84. Helicopters: about 73. Main fighter: F-16C/D Block 52, 24 delivered in 2011-2012, 23 remaining. On order: F-16 Block 72 (24 per SIPRI, 25 per the 2019 US approval), 10 H225M Caracal helicopters and the last five of 24 AH-64E Apaches. Bayraktar TB2 and Akinci drones are counted separately, not as aircraft.
Data as of 3 November 2026. Fleet totals are estimates; delivery data come from SIPRI (to end-2025) and official announcements since.
How many fighter jets does Morocco have?
Global Firepower’s 2026 profile credits Morocco with 84 fighters and no separate attack-aircraft category. That figure bundles three generations of jets, and the type-by-type record is more useful than the headline.
F-16C/D Block 52. SIPRI records 24 aircraft ordered in 2008 in a deal worth about $2.4 billion, partly financed by Saudi Arabia, with deliveries in 2011 and 2012. One was lost on 10 May 2015 during Saudi-led coalition operations over Yemen, as Reuters reported at the time, leaving 23. A 2019 US approval covers upgrading those jets to the F-16V standard. Our Morocco F-16 fleet explainer covers the programme in depth.
Mirage F1. Morocco received 50 Mirage F1s from France between 1978 and 1982, according to SIPRI. Twenty-seven were rebuilt to the Mirage F1 MF-2000 standard in a €350 million programme and redelivered in 2010-2012. These remain the second fighter pillar.
F-5E/F Tiger II. SIPRI records 24 new F-5E/Fs delivered in 1981-1983 and 10 second-hand aircraft modernised in the UK in 1989-1990, later fitted with Israeli M-2032 radars. They are being pushed towards retirement by the Block 72 order; see From F-5 Tiger II to F-16 Block 72.
F-16 Block 72 (on order). The US approved 25 new F-16C/D Block 72s in 2019; SIPRI lists 24 ordered in 2020. Lockheed Martin announced the first flight of Morocco’s first Block 72 on 6 October 2026, saying the aircraft is “progressing through flight testing toward first delivery”. As of this update, none had been handed over, so the Block 72 is not counted in the active fleet.
Royal Moroccan Air Force inventory table
| Platform | Variant | Quantity | Status | Source / period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lockheed Martin F-16 | F-16C/D Block 52 | 24 delivered; 23 remaining | Operational; F-16V upgrade approved | SIPRI; Reuters, May 2015; DSCA 2019 |
| Lockheed Martin F-16 | F-16C/D Block 72 | 24-25 on order; 0 delivered | Ordered (first flight 6 Oct 2026) | SIPRI; DSCA 2019; Lockheed Martin, Oct 2026 |
| Dassault Mirage F1 | Mirage F1 MF-2000 | 27 rebuilt 2010-2012 | Operational (estimate) | SIPRI |
| Northrop F-5 | F-5E/F Tiger II | 34 delivered 1981-1990 | Being phased out; number in service unknown | SIPRI |
| Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet | Alpha Jet E | 24 delivered 1979-1981 | Trainer / light attack; number in service unknown | SIPRI |
| Beechcraft T-6 Texan II | T-6C | 24 delivered 2011-2012 | Operational (trainer) | SIPRI |
| Lockheed C-130 Hercules | C-130H; KC-130H | 11 C-130H and 2 KC-130H delivered 1977-1981 | Operational; overhaul under way | SIPRI |
| Airbus C-295 | C-295W | First delivered Sept 2026 (reported) | Delivered (not officially announced) | DefenceMENA citing Infodefensa, Sept 2026 |
| Leonardo C-27J / Airbus CN-235 | C-27J; CN-235M | 4 C-27J; 7 CN-235 | Operational (estimate) | SIPRI |
| Boeing AH-64 Apache | AH-64E | 24 ordered; 19 delivered | Operational; 5 to come | SIPRI; SETAF-AF via DefenceMENA, 26 Oct 2026 |
| Aérospatiale Gazelle | SA342 (HOT / gun) | 30 delivered 1976-1983 | Being replaced by Apache; number unknown | SIPRI |
| Boeing CH-47 Chinook | CH-47C / CH-47D | 9 CH-47C; 3 CH-47D | Operational (estimate) | SIPRI |
| Airbus H225M Caracal | H225M (CSAR) | 10 ordered 2025 | Ordered | SIPRI |
| Airbus H135 | H135 (training) | 12 ordered; 8 delivered 2023 | Delivered (partial) | SIPRI |
“Delivered” quantities are SIPRI delivery records and official handover announcements, not verified serviceable aircraft. Older types such as the Gazelle, F-5 and Alpha Jet have certainly declined in number since delivery, but no reliable current count is published.
Helicopters and the Apache build-up
Global Firepower’s 73-helicopter figure, with only six counted as attack helicopters, is out of date on the attack side. Morocco ordered 24 AH-64E Apaches in 2020 (Boeing contract announced 25 June 2020), and the US Army’s Southern European Task Force, Africa said the third batch of six was handed over on 26 October 2026, bringing deliveries to 19. The Apache replaces the Gazelle, which SIPRI records as 30 aircraft delivered in 1976-1983, half of the 1981 batch armed with HOT anti-tank missiles. The transport fleet includes Chinooks, with 10 H225M Caracals ordered in 2025 for combat search and rescue. Lockheed Martin’s October 2026 statement also lists Black Hawks among Moroccan aircraft; the number is not given. Our guide to Morocco’s attack helicopters explains the transition.
Drones
Morocco’s drone fleet is not included in the aircraft totals. SIPRI records 19 Bayraktar TB2s delivered from Türkiye (13 in 2021 under a MAD626 million deal and six in 2024), two Bayraktar Akinci in 2025, two Chinese Wing Loong II, three Wing Loong I transferred from the UAE and three Heron-based Harfang systems from France. See Which African countries operate the Bayraktar TB2.
How Morocco compares
| Country | Total aircraft | Fighters | Helicopters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt | 1,088 | 242 | 348 |
| Algeria | 620 | 111 | 300 |
| Morocco | 271 | 84 | 73 |
| Tunisia | 155 | 10 | 101 |
| Mauritania | 23 | 0 | 4 |
Morocco has fewer than half Algeria’s aircraft, but its procurement has shifted decisively towards the United States and Israel. SIPRI trend-indicator values for 2021-2025 put the US at 60% of Morocco’s major arms imports, Israel at 24% and France at 10%. When the Block 72s arrive and the Block 52s are upgraded, Morocco will field one of Africa’s most modern F-16 fleets, while Algeria’s force is larger and Russian-built. See Morocco vs Algeria and Algeria Air Force aircraft.
Frequently asked questions
How many F-16s does Morocco have?
Twenty-three F-16C/D Block 52s. Twenty-four were delivered in 2011-2012 and one was lost over Yemen in May 2015. A further 24-25 Block 72s are on order; the first flew in October 2026 but had not been delivered as of 3 November 2026.
How many military aircraft does Morocco have?
About 271, according to Global Firepower’s 2026 estimate, including about 84 fighters and 73 helicopters. There is no official figure.
How many Apache helicopters does Morocco have?
Nineteen AH-64Es had been delivered by 26 October 2026, out of 24 ordered. The final five are still to come.
Does Morocco have the F-35?
No. There has been reporting about Moroccan interest, covered in our report on the F-35A pilot-training request, but no F-35 sale to Morocco has been notified or confirmed.
Related reading
- What Morocco’s military arsenal looks like
- Morocco’s first F-16 Block 72 completes maiden flight
- Morocco receives third batch of AH-64E Apaches
- Morocco receives first Airbus C-295
- Africa’s largest air forces, ranked
- How many tanks does Morocco have? (coming soon)
A note on the numbers
Official: the AH-64E deliveries (US Army SETAF-AF) and the Block 72 first flight (Lockheed Martin). Estimated: the class totals from Global Firepower 2026. Delivery records: SIPRI, which counts aircraft delivered, not aircraft in service. Contradicted: the Block 72 order is 25 in the 2019 US approval and 24 in SIPRI’s register. Not verified: current numbers of Mirage F1, F-5, Alpha Jet and Gazelle in service, and the size of the Black Hawk and Puma fleets.
Sources
- SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, transfer register for Morocco, 1960-2025 (updated 9 March 2026), accessed 3 November 2026
- Global Firepower (unofficial index), 2026 Morocco Military Strength, accessed 3 November 2026
- Lockheed Martin, First Flight of Morocco’s First F-16 Block 72 (6 October 2026), accessed 3 November 2026
- US Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Morocco F-16 Block 72 new purchase (March 2019), accessed 3 November 2026
- Reuters, Moroccan F-16 jet from Saudi-led coalition in Yemen crashes (11 May 2015), accessed 3 November 2026
- Boeing, Morocco Orders 24 Boeing AH-64E Apache Helicopters (25 June 2020), accessed 3 November 2026
- Stars and Stripes, Apache helicopters delivery to Morocco (28 October 2026), accessed 3 November 2026
- DefenceMENA, Morocco receives first Airbus C-295 (October 2026), citing Infodefensa
Last updated: 3 November 2026.