Morocco - M88A2 HERCULES, Support, and Equipment

The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Morocco of twenty five (25) M88A2 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift and Evacuation System (HERCULES) vehicles and/or M88A1 long supply HERCULES refurbished vehicles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $239.35 million.  The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

The Government of Morocco has requested to buy twenty five (25) M88A2 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift and Evacuation System (HERCULES) vehicles and/or M88A1 long supply HERCULES refurbished vehicles; and twenty-five (25) M2 .50 caliber machine guns.  Also included are twenty five (25) export Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS); twenty five (25) AN/PSN-13A Defense Advanced Global Positioning System (GPS) Receiver (DAGR) with Selective-Availability/Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM); thirty (30) AN/VAS-5B Driver Vision Enhancer (DVE) kits; twenty five (25) M239 or M250 smoke grenade launchers; one thousand eight hundred (1,800) M76 (G826) or L8A1/L8A3 (G815) smoke grenade rounds; spare parts; support equipment; depot level support; Government-Furnished Equipment (GFE); repair parts; communication support equipment; communication equipment integration; tools and test equipment; training; training simulators; repair and return program; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; Technical Assistance Field Team (TAFT); and other related elements of logistics and program support.  Additionally, the following recommended basic load ammunition may be included upon request from customer:  twenty five thousand (25,000) A576 cartridges, .50 caliber linked 4 API/API-T F/M2; three hundred (300) G815 - grenade, smoke screening L8A1/A3; two thousand five hundred (2,500) A541 - 50 armor piercing incendiary, tracer M20 F/M2; ninety-one thousand eight hundred (91,800) A557 - cartridge, .50 caliber 4 ball/1 tracer linked M33 F/M2; fifty four thousand (54,000) A598 - cartridge, .50 caliber blank F/M2; other technical assistance and support equipment; and other related elements of logistics and program support.  The total estimated cost is $239.35 million.

This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a major non-NATO ally that continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in North Africa.

The proposed sale will improve Morocco's capability to meet current and future combat vehicle recovery requirements.  Morocco will use the enhanced capability to enable armored forces training to strengthen its homeland defense and deter regional threats.  Morocco intends to use these defense articles and services to modernize its armed forces by updating their combat vehicle recovery capability in pace with their armored unit upgrades.  Morocco will have no difficulty absorbing these vehicles into its armed forces.

The proposed sale of this equipment and services will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The principal contractor will be BAE, York, Pennsylvania.  The purchaser typically requests offsets.  Any offset agreement will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor(s).

Implementation of this sale will require the assignment of approximately 30 U.S. Government or contractor representatives to travel to Morocco for equipment de­processing/fielding, system checkout and new equipment training.

There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.

This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded.