The Royal Moroccan Air Force's first F-16 Block 72 carried out its maiden flight on 6 October in Greenville, South Carolina, Lockheed Martin has announced. It is now progressing through pre-delivery testing after some delays in the programme. It is the most eye-catching piece of a rearmament drive that is being closely watched in Spain.
But, with the numbers in front of us, how much military weight does Morocco actually have today compared with Spain? Spain is still far ahead in terms of budget and easily dominates at sea. Rabat, by contrast, has more soldiers and rocket artillery, a capability the Spanish Army has lacked for the past 15 years.
