F-35, Morocco’s Next Fighter Jet?

• Air superiority remains decisive in conventional warfare; fifth-generation jets offer unmatched advantages in stealth, radar, and missile range.

• Algeria’s acquisition of Su-57s creates a critical gap in regional air capabilities, putting Morocco’s current fleet, even with upgraded F-16Vs, at a significant disadvantage.

• The F-35 is Morocco’s only viable fifth-gen option, given that U.S. allies can access it while Russian or Chinese alternatives carry diplomatic and operational risks.

• The F-35’s drawbacks are real, high operational cost, lower mission-readiness rate, and concerns over U.S. control via a rumored “kill switch”, but may be outweighed by the strategic necessity.

• Inaction could leave Morocco vulnerable to being outmatched in the skies without ever detecting incoming threats, a shift that could destabilize the regional balance of power.

The end of World War II marked a historic turning point in human history. It brought about the collapse of colonial rule in Africa and Asia as European powers weakened, the beginning of the Cold War between the Western and Soviet blocs, and an unprecedented redrawing of borders across the globe, which has continued to fuel conflicts to this day.

The war also highlighted the crucial role of airpower as a major striking force, decisive in many battles, such as the humiliating three-week defeat of the French army by the Germans. In his Memoirs, published in 1954, General de Gaulle reflected extensively on this rapid collapse, attributing it to a lack of preparation for a “new kind of war,” a reference to the Luftwaffe’s air superiority.

In 2025, the reality remains largely unchanged: the control of the skies determines the outcome of the war. This isn't always true, as shown by the Israeli army’s ongoing struggle against the al-Qassam Brigades in Gaza, even after more than a year of relentless airstrikes that have taken many lives, mostly civilians.

Still, in a war between two conventional forces, air superiority largely determines the outcome. It provides vital intelligence on enemy troop and vehicle movements as well as strategic sites like ammunition warehouses, bridges, roads, or fuel depots. It allows for the targeting of both moving and stationary ground targets. It enables better coordination with ground forces, pushing the frontline while limiting casualties. And it ensures control of the skies, preventing the enemy from carrying out any of the above missions.

There are several categories of military aircraft: fighter jets, bombers, surveillance planes, close air support aircraft, and troop transporters. The type of aircraft we’re focusing on here is the fighter jet. What sets it apart is its versatility; it can bomb ground targets, gather crucial intelligence while remaining undetected by radar, and take down all types of enemy aircraft.

Because of the complexity and high development costs of this kind of technological marvel, very few countries produce them today, and even fewer export them, leaving most nations dependent on a small club of producers. The United States, Russia, and France are the primary exporters of fighter jets. Besides the financial investment, acquiring these aircraft often requires diplomatic or ideological concessions to gain access to the most modern models.

In 2019, for instance, the United States refused to sell upgraded F-16 Viper models to Turkey after Ankara decided to buy S-400 air defense systems from Russia instead of a NATO ally. That decision also cost Turkey its place in the F-35 program, Lockheed Martin’s latest-generation fighter.

Morocco, for its part, has a relatively diverse fleet, according to the latest World Fleet report, which tracks military aircraft inventories worldwide. The Kingdom currently operates 22 F-5Es (third-generation jets), 46 Mirage F1s (fourth generation), and 15 F-16 Block 52s, with 24 more on the way. Although originally fourth-generation, these F-16s are being upgraded to the Viper standard, placing them in the 4.5-generation category.

Today, fighter jets are generally divided into five generations. I’ll cover the specifics and innovations of each generation since WWII in a future intelligence brief. For now, Morocco operates a multigenerational fleet, ranging from outdated aircraft like the F-5E, which most countries have retired, to Mirage F1s and F-16s, which remain capable of serving as a credible deterrent in hypothetical conflicts with any of Morocco’s neighboring militaries.

This image, however, has taken a serious blow with the announcement that Algeria is about to receive the Sukhoi Su-57, a fifth-generation Russian fighter jet, for its air force. This is a major development, as Algeria will become the first African country to operate fifth-generation fighters, giving it a significant strategic advantage over Morocco’s current fleet.

The main differences between fourth- and fifth-generation fighters lie in stealth, missile range, and radar capabilities—three factors that can determine the outcome of an aerial battle. The F-16 Viper, which Morocco is about to receive, can only detect a Su-57 at a range of 70 kilometers, while the Su-57 can spot an F-16V at over 150 kilometers due to the F-16’s radar cross-section of one square meter, making it easily detectable.

The Moroccan F-16Vs, equipped with AMRAAM missiles, have a maximum range of approximately 120 to 160 kilometers. In contrast, the Su-57 can strike with R-77M or R-37M missiles from up to 300 kilometers away, engaging its target before the F-16V even has time to react. This puts the Moroccan jets at a serious disadvantage, forcing them to get dangerously close to enemy aircraft to engage, exposing them to superior radar and stealth technology.

The Su-57 is also theoretically capable of engaging up to 12 different targets at once, while the F-16V is limited to a maximum of 8. Without stealth aircraft in its arsenal, Morocco could find itself completely outmatched, with Algeria able to neutralize its entire air fleet from within its territory, far from Moroccan anti-air defenses.

If Morocco hopes to maintain military balance with its neighbor and avoid a potentially disastrous conflict for both nations, it must do everything possible to acquire fifth-generation fighter jets. Currently, only three countries produce operational fifth-gen fighters: the United States with the F-35 and F-22 (not available for export), China with the J-20 (also not exported), and Russia with the Su-57.

That leaves Morocco with just two options: the United States or Russia. This choice can’t be based solely on technical performance: it also depends on broader strategic considerations, including existing diplomatic and security ties with each power.

The Su-57 could, on paper, be a good option for Morocco, both because of its advanced performance and because it would help diversify the country’s defense suppliers, a long-standing goal for the Kingdom. But that move could come at a high price. It might jeopardize Morocco’s access to cutting-edge American military equipment, such as helicopters and other sensitive systems. Not to mention, the strain of the Ukrainian war has exacerbated the ongoing delays in Russian defense deliveries.

Choosing Russia could prove catastrophic for Morocco, likely leading to a loss of U.S. strategic and diplomatic support, whereas opting for an American fighter jet would not damage Rabat’s relationship with Moscow in any meaningful way.

That makes the F-35 the only truly viable option for Morocco. It’s a fighter jet that has seen widespread success in the U.S. Air Force and with many American allies across the globe. However, it comes with major technical and financial challenges. The operational cost alone is enormous, $28,000 per flight hour, according to the U.S. Air Force, nearly three times the cost of flying an F-16V.

Beyond cost, the F-35 has suffered eleven major accidents since 2018, mainly during training flights in the U.S. According to a report published last year by the U.S. Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, Lockheed Martin’s F-35s continue to face problems with reliability, maintainability, and availability. On average, they are mission-ready only 51% of the time, far from the 65% target.

There’s also a strategic concern: the persistent rumor of a remote shutdown system—often called a "kill switch"—that "the U.S. could activate unilaterally to prevent the F-35 from being used in missions contrary to its interests. If true, this would represent a serious loss of sovereignty, leaving the buyer in technological dependence on Washington even after purchase.

Given these technical uncertainties and the potential loss of strategic autonomy, can we still consider it a real choice? In a regional context where Algeria is equipping itself with the stealth-capable Su-57, capable of striking without being detected, can Morocco truly afford to ignore the F-35—despite all its drawbacks? Perhaps, more than a rational option, acquiring this aircraft has become a strategic necessity.