Full story
AMTEC missile test in Tan-Tan
On August 6, 2026, a low-cost, long-range cruise missile designated as Anthem launched smoothly into the desert sky across the arid coastal expanses of Tan-Tan in southern Morocco, marking the historic operational debut of the Africa Multidomain Training and Experimentation Center, known as AMTEC.
“On August 6, 2026, across the arid coastal expanses of Tan-Tan in southern Morocco”
The live-fire demonstration involved U.S. service members and Morocco's Royal Armed Forces working side by side with defense industry engineers and technicians, and the teams validated advanced satellite communication architectures while collecting critical meteorological and targeting telemetry in real time.
Covenant Industries, described as a U.S.-headquartered defense technology firm with a registered corporate presence in Israel, engineered the missile, and the test was conducted from a temporary expeditionary firing ground in the Moroccan desert.
The test was also described as the first live-fire demonstration conducted at AMTEC, with communications systems tested and the maneuverability of the missile's wings, tires and launch trolley evaluated as the missile was launched on Aug. 6 near Tan-Tan.
Officials frame innovation push
U.S. and Moroccan leadership presented the Tan-Tan demonstration as a step toward making AMTEC a regional hub for experimentation and industrial development, with Colonel Zouhair El Hamdani saying, "This first live-fire demonstration marks a significant milestone in turning that vision into reality."
General Dagvin Anderson, commander of U.S. Africa Command, linked the test to readiness and innovation, telling reporters, "Morocco’s partnership provides a crucial venue that accelerates readiness for the U.S. joint force and our African partners."
The U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll was also tied to the broader effort, with the initiative described as opening five strategic military test ranges globally through an agile online reservation system.
Business Insider Africa said the initiative aims to speed up weapons development by reducing the time companies wait for access to testing facilities, with Morocco's Multidomain Training Area identified as a key site and the Army aiming to provide access within 30 days.
What AMTEC changes next
The sources describe AMTEC as planned to include three pillars in Tan-Tan—a Multidomain Training Area, a specialized Drone Academy and a dedicated Innovation and Experimentation Center—targeting full multidomain development by the year 2030.
“Placed at the very top of congressional defense priorities, ahead of standard counterterrorism programs”
Ynetnews | Israeli says Section 1268 of the draft Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act directs the Department of Defense to formulate a comprehensive strategy prioritizing Cooperative Security Locations across Moroccan territory, placing it "at the very top of congressional defense priorities."
Business Insider España reported that from August 3 to 7 the U.S. Army and the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces carried out a live-fire exercise using the Anthem cruise missile, and it said the event was intended to validate communications systems, assess wing maneuverability, tires, and landing-gear components, and collect meteorological and targeting data.
Haaretz added that Abby Denburg said Covenant was preparing to begin delivering production-ready assets for its manufacturing line at the beginning of 2027 and put Anthem into the hands of the operators that need it, while also noting details about the missile remained limited in public reporting.