In a significant military test, the southern Moroccan region of Tan-Tan witnessed the unveiling of activities by the emerging American defense technology company, Covenant. The event featured the trial of a low-cost long-range cruise missile at a new experimental facility jointly operated by U.S. and Moroccan forces.
Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced that U.S. and Moroccan forces conducted their first live-fire exercise at the African Multi-domain Test and Evaluation Center (AMTEC) near Tan-Tan from August 3 to 7, 2026.
Specialized reports revealed that the trial involved testing Covenant's developed Anthem cruise missile, allowing the assessment of its field capabilities as part of U.S. efforts to expedite the development and testing of affordable long-range munitions.
AFRICOM described the trial as a pivotal moment in U.S.-Morocco defense collaboration, expanding abilities to evaluate emerging military technologies in operational scenarios and aiming to shorten the duration between developing new systems and their deployment to forces.
Colonel Zouhair El Hamdani, a coordinating officer of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, stated the vision to transform AMTEC into a regional hub for innovation, strategic collaboration, and industrial development. He emphasized the importance of this live ammunition showcase in realizing this vision.
General Dagvin Anderson, commander of AFRICOM, noted the center would accelerate operational readiness for U.S. and African forces, while Colonel Michael Gashiro remarked on the facility's role in modeling the future of multinational training by integrating emerging technologies within realistic operational environments.
According to AFRICOM, the center provides a dedicated space for military forces and defense industry companies to test, evaluate, and develop new capabilities at a faster pace in environments that might be challenging to replicate within U.S. test fields.
The initiative boosts Morocco's standing as a regional platform for multinational military experimentation and offers U.S., Moroccan, allies, partners, and defense companies a cost-effective environment for testing multi-domain combat capabilities.
Future tests are anticipated to expand into long-range systems, autonomous platforms, wireless communications, and advanced sensing technologies, further aiming to quickly translate technological innovations into operational capabilities.
AFRICOM indicated that the first live test of a long-range, low-cost missile system at the center demonstrated the rapid alignment of military needs with innovations from defense technology firms.
Reports highlight that the missile test is part of an American initiative to widen military testing site availability, granting defense companies, especially budding ones, quicker access to facilities for system testing before advancing to more mature stages of adoption and production.
Tan-Tan’s facility is part of a network of test locations that include sites within the United States, aimed at overcoming logistical and time barriers faced by companies in testing new military systems.
The Israeli site Walla stated that the initiative permits private tech companies site access for up to 30 days, noting Covenant as one of the first beneficiaries of the new system.
According to the site, the Moroccan test marks a significant phase for the missile project before moving to subsequent stages, targeting serial production by 2027.
Ultimately, the Tan-Tan trial not only tests a new missile system but also reflects an approach to transforming the Moroccan facility into a permanent platform for testing a new generation of emerging military technologies under growing U.S.-Morocco defense cooperation.