Morocco's armed forces have become "clearly superior" to Algeria's after a wave of modernization built partly on Israeli imports, according to Simon Wolfgang Fuchs, a specialist in Islamic studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Fuchs told Deutsche Welle that through imports from Israel, Morocco has significantly modernized its armed forces and now clearly outmatches the Algerian military. Algeria, however, still spends more than three times as much on defense each year.
The arms race between the two North African neighbors no longer comes down simply to the number of tanks, aircraft or troops each side fields. Rabat has bought Western and Israeli systems capable of sharing data and operating together, an integration that now underpins Fuchs's blunt but contested claim that Moroccan forces have overtaken Algeria's.
Morocco has sped up its purchases and diversified its suppliers to avoid relying on a single country. The United States provides the backbone of its air force and much of its ground equipment, Israel supplies air defense and unmanned systems, and Turkey accounts for a growing share of its drones. Together, that mix gives Morocco modern capabilities compatible with Western militaries.
Fuchs's word "superior" demands caution. A military is also measured by its reserves, available ammunition, training, maintenance, command structure and ability to replace losses in combat, much of which remains classified. Known inventories can show trends, but they cannot dictate the outcome of a war.
What the arms data shows
The latest assessment from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) favors Rabat in the recent flow of weapons. Between 2021 and 2025, Moroccan arms imports grew by 12%, while Algeria's fell by 78%. Morocco climbed to 28th place worldwide and became Africa's largest arms importer, while Algeria dropped to 33rd. The United States supplied 60% of the material Morocco received, Israel 24% and France 10%. Those deliveries include an expansion of Morocco's artificial-intelligence-guided drones and its defenses against unmanned aircraft.
US and Israeli deals fuel Rabat's buildup
Packages authorized by Washington include 25 F-16C/D Block 72 fighter jets, AESA radars, air-to-air missiles and Apache helicopters, according to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency. Israel has sold Morocco air defense systems and drones, while Rabat tries to shift part of the assembly work onto Moroccan soil. Its domestic industry has also begun producing 155-millimeter ammunition, though the real size of those production lines and the reserves available remain unknown, meaning that manufacturing an initial batch does not guarantee self-sufficiency in a prolonged conflict.
SIPRI's figures measure deliveries of major weapons over five-year periods, not the size or condition of accumulated arsenals. Algeria's decline may partly reflect earlier purchasing cycles and the struggles of Russia's defense industry since the war in Ukraine. Even so, the shift in suppliers currently benefits Morocco, which receives American and Israeli equipment more regularly and trains with US forces in exercises such as African Lion.
Algeria's spending and heavy weapons edge
Algeria still holds an overwhelming budget advantage. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) calculates that Algeria spent $25.5 billion on defense in 2025, compared with $7.51 billion for Morocco. For 2026, it projects $24.5 billion for Algeria and $7.87 billion for Morocco. Algeria's spending faces greater fiscal pressure, but it still exceeds its neighbor's by more than three to one.
The gap also shows up in several heavy capabilities. Algeria's air force relies on Su-30 fighters, and according to the IISS, recent images appear to show its first Su-57, a fifth-generation jet that could give it an edge in air combat while Morocco still has no access to the F-35. Development of a two-seat Su-57 variant also points toward missions coordinating drones. At sea, Algeria's six submarines have no Moroccan equivalent.
Morocco's strengths in drones and air defense
Morocco's strongest arguments lie in armed drones, layered air defense, data links and compatibility with US forces, fields that have proven decisive in recent conflicts, where finding and striking a target quickly can offset a numerical disadvantage. Morocco has also used drones against the Polisario Front in Western Sahara, a disputed territory, gaining real operational experience. That experience, however, is not the same as fighting a regional power equipped with combat aircraft, missiles and submarines.
Fuchs is right to identify the speed of Morocco's modernization and the weight of Israel's role in it, but his broader conclusion goes further than open data can prove. Morocco may have gained an edge in unmanned systems, connected air defense and Western integration, while Algeria retains more money, heavier aircraft and submarine power. Talk of total superiority remains premature while the real availability, reserves and readiness of both militaries stay unknown.
