Morocco’s National Defense Administration and French defence technology company Harmattan AI have signed a letter of intent to jointly develop IRIFI, an autonomous deep-strike system with a stated range of up to 2,000 kilometres.
The agreement was signed at the opening of the Marrakech Air Show. No contract value, timeline or production commitment has been disclosed.
How the system is described
IRIFI is designed as a long-range autonomous drone. According to the statement, commanders designate authorised targets and set mission parameters before launch. Once approved and airborne, the system executes the mission autonomously within those boundaries.
That description places the human decision at target selection and mission authorisation, with autonomy operating inside pre-set limits rather than extending to target choice.
Navigation is GNSS-independent, with optical terminal guidance — meaning the system is built to function without satellite positioning, including at low altitude and in environments where communications or satellite navigation are disrupted.
The sovereignty claim
Harmattan AI says critical technological components will be developed and produced in Morocco, primarily by Moroccan talent, as part of expanding the Kingdom’s defence industrial and technological base.
That is the company’s statement rather than a disclosed arrangement. Harmattan AI is French, and the division of development and manufacturing between the two countries has not been specified.
Who signed
The signing took place in the presence of Minister Delegate Abdeltif Loudyi; General Mohammed Berrid, Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces and Commander of the Southern Zone; Harmattan AI chief executive Mouad M’Ghari; and Amir Benmahjoub, general manager of Harmattan AI Morocco, alongside senior defence and military officials.
The letter builds on a strategic partnership signed in June 2026 between Harmattan AI, the National Defense Administration and the Royal Armed Forces.
