Morocco has brought Curtiss-Wright Corporation, a century-old US aerospace and defence group valued at about $27 billion, to Africa for the first time to establish advanced aircraft-component treatment operations in Casablanca.
Morocco brings century-old $27 billion US aerospace giant to Africa for the first time
- Morocco signed an agreement with Curtiss-Wright Corporation to establish specialised aircraft-component treatment operations in Casablanca, marking the company’s first venture in Africa.
- The deal enables advanced surface-treatment capabilities for critical aircraft parts locally, reducing the need to send components abroad.
- Morocco’s aerospace ecosystem now comprises over 155 companies, employs more than 25,000 skilled workers, and generates nearly $3 billion in annual exports.
- This agreement strengthens Morocco’s position as Africa’s top industrial economy and brings the nation closer to becoming a fully integrated aircraft-manufacturing hub.
The memorandum of understanding was signed on July 21, 2026, at the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom.
It provides for Curtiss-Wright Surface Technologies to develop advanced surface-treatment capabilities in the Greater Casablanca region, marking the company’s first entry into Africa.
The expansion will add one of aircraft manufacturing’s most specialised processes to Morocco’s supply chain, allowing local companies to treat critical parts used in landing gear, engines and other systems without sending them abroad.
The move could strengthen Morocco’s role as an African aerospace gateway and help the continent retain more value from aircraft manufacturing.
Curtiss-Wright, a US aerospace and defence group founded in 1929 from companies linked to aarket value of about $27 billion, posted roughly $3.5 billion in revenue in 2025 and employs more than 8,900 people
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Morocco has spent two decades building one of Africa’s deepest aerospace manufacturing ecosystems, covering precision machining, electrical wiring, sheet-metal production, composite materials, assembly and maintenance.
However, some high-value components still had to be shipped overseas for treatments that protect metal against corrosion, heat, wear and repeated mechanical stress.
Curtiss-Wright’s arrival means more of that work can now remain in Morocco, reducing production delays and helping local manufacturers capture a larger share of the value created by each aircraft component.
The kingdom’s aerospace sector now includes more than 155 companies, employs over 25,000 skilled workers and generates nearly $3 billion in annual exports.
Its local integration rate stands at 42%, while the industry has recorded average annual growth of about 17% over the past two decades.
The agreement strengthens Morocco’s claim as Africa’s leading industrial economy, after the African Development Bank’s 2025 ranking placed it first on the continent, supported by advances in aerospace, automotive manufacturing and phosphates.
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Morocco signed an agreement with Curtiss-Wright Corporation to establish specialised aircraft-component treatment operations in Casablanca, marking the company’s first venture in Africa.Business Insider Africa
Ray Lopuc, senior vice-president and head of Curtiss-Wright Surface Technologies’ Metal Improvement Company division, said the project would open a new chapter in the group’s relationship with Morocco.
“This is an excellent opportunity,” Lopuc said.
He described Morocco as Curtiss-Wright’s first entry point into Africa and said the group planned to expand its operations beyond Casablanca into other parts of the country.
The company supplies advanced components, control systems, onboard electronics and specialised engineering services to the aerospace, defence, nuclear energy and industrial sectors.
Its Moroccan operation will serve aircraft manufacturers and suppliers that require metal components capable of withstanding extreme pressure and demanding operating conditions.
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The deal follows Safran Landing Systems’ decision to invest €280 million, about $332 million, in a major landing-gear factory near Casablanca.
The plant, expected to begin operations in 2029, will manufacture landing gear for Airbus A320-family aircraft and future short- and medium-haul aircraft.
Those components require specialised surface treatments, creating direct demand for Curtiss-Wright’s services.
Ali Seddiki, director-general of the Moroccan Investment and Export Development Agency, said attracting a specialised-process provider of Curtiss-Wright’s size showed that Morocco now produces significant volumes of critical, high-value aircraft parts.
The project could also strengthen technical training through Casablanca’s Institut des Métiers de l’Aéronautique and support Morocco’s push into future a
For Morocco, the agreement brings home a process previously completed abroad, moves Africa’s most industrialised economy closer to becoming a complete aircraft-manufacturing platform and advances King Mohammed VI’s industrial vision.
