Safran Electronics & Defense is expanding its factory in Nouaceur, near Casablanca, committing 350 million Moroccan dirhams to grow the site and deepen its industrial footprint in Africa.
The company announced the project on the ground in Nouaceur, where the plant is already operating. The expansion adds capacity in a country that has become a key hub for French-speaking aerospace subcontracting.
Safran Electronics & Defense is a Safran group subsidiary focused on navigation, optronics and defense systems. The company is led by Franck Philippe Saudo, president of the SAS, and its headquarters remains in Paris at boulevard du Général Martial Valin in the city’s 15th arrondissement, according to official INSEE data.
Nouaceur has become a key node in Safran’s Morocco footprint
Nouaceur’s appeal is strategic. The Nouaceur aeronautics zone, next to Mohammed V International Airport, has concentrated a growing share of wiring, assembly and maintenance work for several French aerospace suppliers over the past decade.
For Safran Electronics & Defense, the location combines geographic proximity to Europe with competitive production costs.
The 350 million dirhams investment is about €32 million (about $34.6 million). For an entity whose declared headcount in France remains limited to roughly 50 employees, according to INPI data, the article notes that most operational production is therefore organized outside the Paris headquarters.
A boost for Morocco’s aero-defense supply chain—and a bet on regional demand
The investment comes as Morocco positions itself as a priority destination for European aerospace suppliers looking to secure their supply chains. In May 2026, Gifas said the French supply chain was becoming more robust, with 90% of deliveries arriving on time, up from 85% two years earlier. Building up offshore production capacity directly supports those delivery rates.
For Safran Electronics & Defense, the Nouaceur expansion also signals a push toward African and Middle Eastern markets, where demand for defense and navigation equipment is rising. The group has not publicly detailed a commissioning timeline for the added capacity or how many local jobs the expansion will create.
