Thales has deepened its long-standing partnership with Arab International Optronics (AIO) to accelerate Egypt’s ambitions in technological sovereignty, local innovation, and regional leadership. The renewed collaboration builds on five decades of cooperation and supports Egypt’s goal of becoming a leading technology hub capable of producing and exporting advanced systems.
With a combined talent pool of more than 800 engineers and specialists, the partnership will expand across six strategic domains. A central initiative is the establishment of the Thales Academy in Egypt, which will train military, government, and civilian professionals in areas such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, optronics, radar, and telecommunications. The academy will offer certified programs delivered by Thales experts and foster partnerships with Egyptian and French universities.
In defence technologies, the collaboration will advance Fire Control Systems by developing upgrade kits for heavy armored vehicles, and enhance Remote Controlled Weapon Systems with laser-guided rocket capabilities integrated into AIO’s X29 platform. Surveillance strength will also increase through the deployment of Thales ground radar and advanced Hand-Held Thermal Imagers, all tied into a unified command-and-control network.
A dedicated service centre will be created at AIO to support deployed thermal imaging systems. Additionally, AIO-manufactured components will be integrated into Thales’ global supply chain, boosting local industrial capacity while improving Thales’ production throughput.
The strengthened alliance reinforces Egypt’s strategic push toward technological independence and positions the country to export high-value, locally engineered solutions across regional and international markets.
