India's Tata Advanced Systems Limited, part of the Tata Group, opened a plant near Casablanca on Tuesday, 23 September, to produce armoured combat vehicles, in a move that dovetails with Morocco’s recent efforts to stimulate a homegrown defence industry. The facility will make 8x8 Wheeled Armoured Platform (WhAP) vehicles for the Moroccan army and for export across Africa, Morocco’s defence administration said. The move coincides with a push by Morocco, which has one of the largest defence budgets in Africa, to localise military production. The Tata plant’s launch follows a bilateral agreement signed on Monday between Morocco and India to deepen defence cooperation, including joint training, cyberdefence, military health, and industrial collaboration. The deal was inked during a visit to Rabat by India’s defence minister.