CAIRO, Egypt, 3rd December 2025 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/-Thales, a global leader in advanced technologies in advanced for the Defence, Aerospace and Cyber & Digital sectors, and Arab International Optronics (AIO) are proud to announce the reinforcement of their long-standing partnership, driving forward Egypt’s ambitions for technological sovereignty, innovation, and regional leadership.
- For over 50 years, Thales has stood as a trusted partner of the Arab Republic of Egypt supporting the nation’s vision for growth and sovereignty. This reinforced collaboration is built upon this trust, leveraging the expertise of over 800 dedicated engineers and professionals to develop “Made in Egypt” solutions.
- At the heart of this partnership, AIO and Thales will deepen their cooperation in 6 domains, including: the establishment of a Thales Training academy in Egypt and the cooperation with Thales entities in France, Great Britain, Belgium and Germany for defence solutions.
The six domains of cooperation cover:
- Training: The creation of the Thales Academy in Egypt to develop the expertise of Egyptian Forces, government and civilian institutions in optronics, cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence (AI), radio telecommunication and radar. The Thales Academy will feature a set of certified trainings delivered by Thales recognised experts and an extended cooperation between Egyptian and French universities.
- Fire Control Systems (FCS): The development of an upgrade kit for heavy armoured vehicle, hence multiplying their efficiency on the battlefield, based on the expertise of AIO in Fire Control Systems (FCS) and the recognised excellence of Thales in optronics sighting solutions.
- Remote Controlled Weapon Systems (RCWS): The development of laser guided rocket version of the well-known AIO X29 based on AIO expertise in RCWS and Thales expertise in laser guided rockets.
- Surveillance: The procurement to Egypt armed forces of a combat proven solution based on Thales ground radar and Hand-Held Thermal Imager (HHTI). Managed by a unique command and control computer, this man-pack solution allows fast detection and identification of threats.
- Service Centre: The development withing AIO premisses of a service centre dedicated to the support of Thales Hand-Held Thermal Imager deployed within the Egyptian forces.
- Supply Chain: A deeper collaboration for the integration of AIO supplies and sub-assemblies into Thales supply chain that will benefit to both Thales and AIO. This collaboration will increase Thales product throughput and competitiveness, while allowing AIO to develop even further its industrial capabilities.
“With the reinforcement of this strong partnership with AIO, Thales in Egypt proud to contribute to the technological sovereignty of Egypt. By further anchoring Thales’ advanced solutions within Egypt, both our companies are committed to transforming Egypt into a regional technology hub, capable of supporting and exporting high-value, locally produced solutions to Egypt and other markets.” said Sherif Barakat, CEO Thales in Egypt.
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Thales.
About Arab International Optronics
Arab International Optronics (AIO) is a distinguished, longstanding national industrial pillar, strategically established by the Egyptian Armed Forces to meet the nation’s requirements across both military and civilian sectors by manufacturing essential optical and electro-optical equipment. Operating nine state-of-the-art factories
AIO is recognized as one of the region’s premier industrial strongholds in advanced electro-optical systems, including day, night, thermal, and laser technologies.
Beyond its crucial role as a supplier to the Armed Forces—providing critical equipment like advanced optical/electro-optical devices, laser systems, precision electronics, remote control weapon systems, integrated systems, and fire control systems—the company also significantly supports the national economy by exporting high-quality products to allied nations, thereby generating vital hard currency.
About Thales
Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies in advanced for the Defence, Aerospace and Cyber & Digital sectors. Its portfolio of innovative products and services addresses several major challenges: sovereignty, security, sustainability and inclusion.
The Group invests more than €4 billion per year in Research & Development in key areas, particularly for critical environments, such as Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum and cloud technologies.
Thales has more than 83,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2024, the Group generated sales of €20.6 billion.
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