Clearer military requirements could unlock UGV market growth
Western armies continue to test uncrewed ground vehicles, but wider procurement will depend on turning ambitions for autonomy into defined operational roles and funded requirements.
Morocco requests 25 M88A2 HERCULES from US
Morocco has requested the delivery of 25 M88A2 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Life and Evacuation System (HERCULES) vehicles for an estimated cost of $239.35 million from BAE Systems, via the FMS process.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified the US Congress on 3 March.
The Government of Morocco also requested 25 M2 .50 calibre machine guns, 25 AN/PSN-13A GPS Receivers, 30 AN/VAS-5B Driver Vision Enhancer kits, 25 M239 or M250 smoke grenade launchers, 1,800 M76 or L8A1/L8A3 smoke grenade rounds.
The sale would support ‘the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a major non-NATO ally that continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in North Africa’, according to a DSCA statement.
Although no offset has been made public, Morocco commonly includes them in defence contracts.
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