Egypt-based AOI reiterates making aircraft K8

CAIRO – 2 December 2018: Abdel-Moneim al-Taras, chairman of the Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI), said that the organization owns 13 factories mainly responsible for manufacturing defense systems.

Taras added that the factories work to meet the requirements and needs of the Egyptian Armed Forces.

The AOI is interested in the aircraft industry where it succeeded to manufacture aircraft K8, as well as to repair aircraft engines inside the factories in cooperation with the Egyptian Air Force, said Taras in his interview with Ahmed Mousa on Sada al-Balad.

There is a committee headed by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and the membership of the prime minister to oversee the strategy of the AOI, Taras said, explaining that the organization is subject to special laws that are different from the business sector's laws.


The Arab Organization for Industrialization was established in 1975, in the era of late President Mohamed Anwar al-Sadat. The AOI was established by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. However, in 1993, Egypt became the only owner of the organization.

The AOI is believed to employ thousands of employees and hundreds of engineers. The organization is also responsible for meeting civilian requirements including the transport and sanitation equipment besides its military responsibility.

The military aircraft factory was established in 1950 and then joined the AOI in the seventies of the last century. It managed to manufacture and assemble a number of aircrafts including Helwan HA 200-300.