How Do Morocco’s and Algeria’s Air Forces Stack Up?

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The rivalry between Morocco and Algeria extends to their air forces as well—with Morocco operating US equipment and Algeria maintaining a competing Russian-built fleet.

Algeria and Morocco maintain one of Africa’s most enduring rivalries—with the long-running dispute over the status of Western Sahara as its core political fault line. Both nations have invested heavily in air power as the primary instrument of deterrence towards each other.

However, the two nations have taken starkly different approaches to their airpower. Morocco operates a smaller, Western-integrated and networked force optimized for precision and interoperability. On the other hand, Algeria fields a heavier, Russian-oriented force optimized for high-intensity air warfare. And Algiers may now have another weapon in its arsenal—the Russian Su-57 “Felon” fifth-generation fighter jet, which was allegedly spotted near an Algerian airbase in the country’s northeast earlier in the month.

The West Africa Rivalry Is Centered on Western Sahara

The conflict in West Africa dates back to 1975, when—following Spain’s withdrawal from its colony along Africa’s western coast then known as Spanish Sahara—Morocco invaded and annexed the region. The invasion was diplomatically controversial, leading to Morocco’s expulsion from the African Union from 1984 until 2017. It also spawned a long-running insurgency by the Polisario........

© The National Interest