Thales has announced an expanded partnership with Arab International Optronics (AIO), strengthening a long-standing collaboration aimed at supporting Egypt’s ambitions for technological sovereignty, innovation, and regional leadership. Building on more than five decades of cooperation, the renewed agreement leverages the expertise of over 800 engineers and specialists to advance “Made in Egypt” technologies across defence and civilian sectors.
The enhanced partnership covers six strategic areas, beginning with the establishment of a Thales Training Academy in Egypt. The academy will focus on developing national capabilities in optronics, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, radar, and radio communications, delivering certified training programmes for military, government, and civilian institutions. The initiative will be supported by deeper academic collaboration between Egyptian and French institutions.
The agreement also includes joint development of advanced defence technologies. Thales and AIO will collaborate on upgrading fire control systems for heavy armoured vehicles and co-develop a laser-guided rocket variant of AIO’s X29 remote-controlled weapon system. In surveillance, Thales will provide Egypt’s armed forces with an integrated solution combining ground radar, thermal imagers, and unified command-and-control systems, alongside the creation of a local service centre for thermal imaging equipment within AIO facilities.
Supply chain cooperation is another key pillar, enabling AIO to integrate its components into Thales’ global production lines, strengthening local industrial capacity while enhancing Thales’ competitiveness. Thales said the partnership reinforces its commitment to anchoring advanced technologies in Egypt and positioning the country as a regional hub for high-value, export-ready solutions.
