Technical failures convinced Rabat to switch from government-owned KNDS France to Elbit's ATMOS 2000 system.
Morocco has decided to buy 36 artillery units from Israeli defense manufacturer Elbit instead of renewing a contract for a similar product from France, a French newspaper reported on Saturday.
Elbit will supply Morocco’s defense ministry with 36 ATMOS 2000 155 mm/52 caliber self-propelled gun systems, according to the report in La Tribune. The decision to award Elbit the contract followed a series of technical failures with the 36 Caesar systems Morrocco bought in 2022 from the government-owned KNDS France for about $200 million, according to the report.
The French-made cannons have not been made operational because of the failures, according to La Tribune. Instead of signing a second contract with KNDS France for more Caesars, Rabat decided to change course and opted for Elbit’s Atmos (Autonomous Truck Mounted howitzer System), according to the report.