Morocco’s Special Forces Getting New Tactical Vehicle

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Morocco is equipping its special forces with new tactical vehicles. Rabat has signed an agreement with the French Company Arquus for the supply of 36 Sherpa light 4×4 tactical vehicles in two variants including Light Scout and Light APC (Armored Personnel Carrier).

The Scout variant (former Sherpa 2), available in unarmored or armored variants, is ideally suited for tactical missions such as scouting, patrol, convoy escort, and command and liaison.

The Sherpa Light Scout can carry up to 5 military personnel including driver and commander. The vehicle can be fitted with a manual turret or remotely operated weapon station armed with a machine gun up to 12.7 mm. It can be easily transported by military aircraft as A400m or C-130. The vehicle is already in service by armed forces and police forces in France and several NATO countries, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America.

The Sherpa APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) is an armored version in the Sherpa family configured to transport soldiers on the battlefield. The vehicle is available in two configurations with two or four lateral doors. It can accommodate a total of 10 military personnel including driver and commander. It has a weight from 11 to 16 tons with a maximum payload of 2,500 kg. The vehicle can be fitted with armor protection up to Level 3 STANAG 4569 offering protection against firing of small arms 7.62×51mm caliber AP (Armor-Piercing), according to armyrecognition.com.

The Moroccan army operates only two types of tactical armored vehicles, USA-made Humvees. Morocco owns 2,000 units, and an unknown number of VAMTAC four-wheel drive vehicles produced by the Spanish company Urovesa, according to defensa.com.