SABCA and Sabena Aerospace from Belgium teaming with Lockheed Martin to build military aircraft facility in Morocco.

Sabca and Sabena Aerospace, part of the Blueberry Group, Belgium's first sustainable aerospace ecosystem, and the Kingdom of Morocco as well as Lockheed Martin announced on April 14 that they recently signed a strategic partnership implementing the Moroccan joint venture Maintenance Aero Maroc (MAM), in the presence of Abdeltif Loudyi, Minister Delegate to the Head of Moroccan Government in charge of National Defence Administration.

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The signing of the partnership is another milestone for Blueberry Group that will leverage combined know-how and expertise on the C-130 and F-16 and international quality service to extend its Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) network. From left to right: Ms. Danya Trent, Vice President F-16 Program LM; M. Abdeltif Loudyi, Ministre délégué auprès du Chef de Gouvernement chargé de l’administration de la défense nationale (Minister Delegate to the Head of Moroccan Government in charge of National Defence Administration); M. Stéphane Burton, CEO Blueberry Group; and M. Dennys Plessas, Vice President Global Pursuits Initiatives LM. (Picture source: SABCA)

The Strategic partnership fosters the Belgian Group's international development while supporting the sustainment requirements of the Royal Moroccan Air Force and bringing high-tech jobs and technical abilities within the country. This project represents the first achievement in the framework of the recent law aimed at enabling the Kingdom of Morocco to develop a military-industrial and defence activity and to draw strategic and economic benefits from it.

The partnership includes the construction of a state-of-the-art 15,000 m² Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul and Upgrade (MRO&U) center for military aircraft and helicopters at Benslimane Airport and supports the creation of up to 300 jobs. Maintenance Aero Maroc (MAM) will be the operators of the new facility, providing an industrial benefit to the Belgian Group through continued sustainment opportunities on Lockheed Martin platforms.

The signing of the partnership is another milestone for Blueberry Group that will leverage on combined know-how and expertise on the C-130 and F-16 and international quality service to extend its Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) network and will provide the Group with new opportunities to create value and develop new expertise on other platforms.

“Our Group has 50 years’ experience maintaining, repairing and upgrading aircraft such as the C-130 and the F-16” said Stéphane Burton, CEO of the Blueberry Group. “We are extremely proud to start this new partnership with the Kingdom of Morocco and Lockheed Martin, offering high quality sustainment services for the Moroccan Air Force and then rapidly to other customers in the region. We are very happy to see MAM joining our international network of MRO&U solutions, bringing opportunities to develop new expertise on other platforms.”

““We are proud to share our experience with Morocco and look forward to all that we will learn from each other as we manage a robust set of industrial partnerships that aligns to Morocco’s priorities and builds on our history of successful collaboration efforts,” said Danya Trent, Lockheed Martin vice president – F-16 Program. “The significant cooperation is the result of several years of evaluation and discussions that will ensure the Kingdom of Morocco receives the best possible industrial facility, equipment, training and certification to support the sustainment requirements of the Royal Moroccan Air Force and other international customers.”

The Blueberry Group has been operating in Morocco since 2012 through its subsidiary Sabca Maroc which recently announced its investment of more than 180 million Moroccan dirhams (17 million euros) in the construction of a new 16,000 sqm facility which will house Pilatus, Airbus and Dassault aerostructure assembly line in the Nouaceur area. It also participated, in cooperation with the Moroccan Air Force, to the modernization of their Dassault Mirage F1 and Alphajet aircraft. This project represents an additional development of the Blueberry group in the Kingdom of Morocco with the first maintenance activities in Benslimane set to start this year on the Lockheed Martin C-130.