Indian conglomerate Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. is set to build a defense plant in Morocco, marking India's first foray into overseas defense manufacturing, according to The Economic Times.
The plant, located in Casablanca, will produce WhAP amphibious armored vehicles for the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces. These vehicles are already in limited service with the Indian Army and deployed on the border with China in the Ladakh region.
Expected to be operational within the next 12 months, the facility has the capacity to produce 100 vehicles annually. While the exact cost of the contract remains undisclosed by TASL, the project aims to expand into a wider African market.
According to Tata CEO Sukarana Singh, this contract is strategically significant for TASL because it does not only help to kickstart Morocco's defense ecosystem but also serves as a stepping stone for TASL in the rest of Africa.