“Ghost Fighters” ignite the battle of air deterrence between Morocco and Algeria

In light of the continued geopolitical tension between them, Morocco and Algeria are moving in the direction of strengthening their defense and offensive arsenal with the latest technologies and weapons, especially with regard to the development of the capabilities of the Air Force, which is one of the most important factors to achieve strategic deterrence, as reports indicate the beginning of the operation of the Algerian army, new Russian fighters of Sukhoi 35.

In this regard, a report on the “Africa Military” website, a specialist in African military affairs, confirmed that “Algeria recently started operating the Russian Su-35S fighters, in a move that strengthens its air force and reflects the depth of the military partnership with Russia,” noting that some other reports had registered that the Algerian army concluded a deal with Moscow in 2018 to buy 24 Russian fighters of this model.

The site adds that “there is speculation that Algeria may be interested in the SU-57 ghost, as Algerian television confirmed in February last year that the country asked for two squadron from SU-57 (about 24 aircraft), to become the first foreign customer for this fighter,” adding that “Algeria as long as it was one of the largest importers of Russian weapons, as it comes second after India.”

The same source considered that “the introduction of Su-35S into the Algerian arsenal creates a change in the balance of power in North Africa and the Mediterranean, as Morocco has a fleet of US-backed F-16, which creates a competitive dynamism,” noting that “this situation may push Morocco and Egypt to re-evaluate their military strategies, and perhaps increasing their defensive spending to maintain parity.”

Parallel to the possibility of Sukhoi Al -Shuhihi aircraft to the Algerian military bases, this data may accelerate the Rabat getting the latest aircraft in the world, and it is related to the American F -35 aircraft. The same report indicated that “the UAE offered, according to reports, the financing of Morocco’s purchase of F -35 Ghost. As the improvement of Morocco’s relations with Washington and Tel Aviv may be easy to obtain, which gives it a strategic advantage over its neighbors.

In addition, Abdel Rahman Makkawi, an expert in strategic and military affairs, said that “providing the Algerian army with Sukhoi 35 fighters comes within the framework of the traditional military partnership between Algeria and Moscow,” adding that “these fighters played certain roles in the war in Ukraine and in the Syrian civil war through the Hmeimim base from which swarms.”

Makkawi added, in a statement to the electronic newspaper Hespress, that “the combat and technical characteristics of this Russian fighter are somewhat similar to the characteristics of the American F18 plane,” highlighting that “several reports indicated that Algeria also obtained a squadron of Sukhoi 57 fighters.”

On the other hand, Makkawi stressed that “the negotiations between Morocco and the United States of America to acquire modern planes have reached advanced stages,” noting that “the American options on Morocco are F -35 aircraft or F22 aircraft. The latter is a very good option for the Moroccan army as they are much better operating than Sukhoi 35, and only very few countries in the world are occupied, including Israel.”

He added that “the negotiations with the French side did not stop also for the acquisition of Rafale fighters,” noting that “the choice of Morocco or those depends on several factors, most notably the price, operational and combat capabilities, maintenance and training of pilots, in addition to that Morocco has recently begun to link armament deals with contracts for joint manufacturing weapons.”

He concluded that “the arms of the Moroccan and Algerian armies with the latest aircraft in the global arms market guarantees the balance of deterrence in the region,” stressing that “the Royal Armed Forces are also working to expand dependence on the technology of roads, which has proven in many battlefields in the world its ability to achieve air superiority away from the traditional aircraft despite its development.”