Arab Organization for Industrialization
| Abbreviation | AOI |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1975 |
| Type | Arabic |
Chairman | Abd El Aziz Seif-Eldeen |
Main organ | Supreme Committee |
Staff | ~16,000[1] |
| Website | www.aoi.org.eg |
The Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI) (
Initially an institution of Pan-Arabism, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates returned their shares in AOI, valued at US$1.8 billion, to Egypt in 1993, leaving AOI wholly owned by Egypt. AOI has approximately 16,000 employees,[1] out of which 1,250 are engineers. AOI fully owns 12 factories and shares in 1 joint-venture, besides the Arab Institute for Development Technology.
History
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| Politics of the Arab world |
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AOI was established by its four member-states - Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE - in response to the threat posed by the advanced
Westland Helicopters v. Arab Organisation for Industrialization
In 1978, AOI and Westland Helicopters, a British aerospace company, established the Arab British Helicopter Company as a joint venture, but a year later AOI announced the company's liquidation. In ensuing arbitration, the International Chamber of Commerce made an award, on grounds of breach of the principles of natural law and good faith, in favour of Westland Helicopters and against AOI's four member-states.[5] This award was later annulled by the Court of Justice of Geneva,[6] which annulment was upheld by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, on grounds that the arbitrators had jurisdiction over AOI but not over the organisation's member-states.[7][8]
Egyptian isolation
Following the signing of the Egypt-Israeli peace treaty (1979), Egypt had its membership to the Arab League suspended and a policy of economic isolation implemented against it. It was in this atmosphere that the three AOI member-states other than Egypt - Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE - withdrew from the AOI, causing its collapse.[3]
In 1983, the Egyptian chief-of-staff restated his interest in the joint manufacture of weapons, but it was only after the 1987 Arab League summit in Amman, Jordan, when the Arab League re-admitted Egypt and the other Arab states normalised relations with Egypt, that the possibility of renewed co-operation among the AOI member-states seemed possible.[9]
The UAE seemed similarly eager to reinvigorate the AOI:[10] in 1988, Egypt and the UAE held talks with Qatar about its re-entry into the AOI, at which an agreement for closer co-operation between Egypt and Qatar in the fields of culture and communication was signed.[11]
Organization
AOI is one of the largest
Current enterprises
All AOI enterprises are ISO 9000/2001 and ISO 14001/2004 certified.[13]
AOI Aircraft Factory
The AOI's Aircraft Factory (
The AOI Aircraft Factory manufactures and assembles aircraft for the Egyptian air force, including:
- trainer
- Prototype Helwan HA-300 supersonic fighter
- Alpha Jet
- Tucano turboprop trainer
- FA 50 light combat aircraft
- the K-8E jet trainer.[14]
The K-8E is an Egyptian variant of the Chinese Hongdu JL-8, exported as the Karakorum-8 (or K-8) to (among others) Pakistan, Zambia and Myanmar. The K-8E's manufacture at the AOI Aircraft Factory began in 2000, under an agreement between the AOI and CATIC, the Chinese state-owned aerospace manufacturer, to produce a total of 60 K-8s over five years. The contract, valued at US$347.4 million, was signed in 1999 in connection with the state visit by Chinese president Jiang Zemin that year.[16] Initially, most of the parts were manufactured in China and the aircraft were assembled in Egypt, but by the end of the programme the manufacture was to be carried out entirely at the AOI Aircraft Factory. In the end, 98% of each K-8E was locally manufactured.[14]
The AOI Aircraft Factory also manufactures aircraft parts for the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA), Dassault Aviation and SAGEM, and has received certification from the ECAA for its welding, painting, testing and calibration operations.[14] The AOI Aircraft Factory also engages in civilian and technological projects.
AOI Engine Factory
In 1960, the Engine Factory (
- the E-200 for the Helwan HA-200 Al Kahirah subsonic trainer; and
- the E-300 for the Helwan HA-300 supersonic fighter.[17]
In 1975, the Engine Factory was affiliated to AOI, since when it has focused its activities on the manufacture, assembly, repair and overhaul of
The AOI Engine Factory directs spare capacity to civilian projects, including the manufacture of
Major products
Compatible ordnance for
Major customers
 |
- Egyptian Army
- Syrian Arab Army
- Iraqi Army
- Libyan National Army[citation needed]
- UAE Army
- Saudi Arabian National Guard
Other factories and enterprises
AOI Electronics Factory
Sakr Factory for Development Industries (AOI)
Kader Factory for Development Industries (AOI)
Arab British Engine Co. (ABECO) (AOI)
Arab British Dynamics Co. ABD (AOI)
Egyptian Railways Equipment (SEMAF (ARE))
References
- ^ a b c d e "AOI in brief". Arab Organization for Industrialization. Archived from the original (About us) on 2014-02-16. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
- ^ "Future products". Arab Organization for Industrialization. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
- ^ a b German and Taylor 2004: 322
- ^ Shidlo 1993: 241
- ^ Westland Helicopters Ltd v. Arab Organization for Industrialization, United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, State of Qatar, Arab Republic of Egypt and Arab British Helicopter Company, 80 ILR 600, 613 (1984-03-05).
- ^ Arab Organization for Industrialization and others v. Westland Helicopters Ltd and others, 80 ILR 622 (1987-10-23).
- ^ Arab Organization for Industrialization and others v. Westland Helicopters Ltd, 80 ILR 652 (Federal Supreme Court (First Civil Court) 1988-07-19).
- ^ Klabbers 2002: 312
- ^ German and Taylor 2004: 329
- ^ Nolan 1992: 72
- ^ Rabi 1990: 458
- ^ Cordesman 2002: 65
- ^ "International certifications, About us". Arab Organization for Industrialization. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
- ^ a b c d "About the factory". Arab Organization for Industrialization Aircraft Factory (in Arabic). Arab Organization for Industrialization.
- ^ "Contact us". Arab Organization for Industrialization Aircraft Factory (in Arabic). Arab Organization for Industrialization.
- ^ Xinhua (2005-08-30). "China award Egypt aircraft production licence". China Daily. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
- ^ a b c d "History". Engine Factory. Arab Organization for Industrialization.
Bibliography
- YEZID SAYIGH, OWNERS OF THE REPUBLIC: AN ANATOMY OF EGYPT’S MILITARY ECONOMY, Jan. 1, 2019, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep26922.
- Cordesman, Anthony H. (2002). Peace and war: the Arab-Israeli military balance enters the twenty-first century. ISBN 978-0-275-96939-4.
- German, Richard; Taylor, Elizabeth (2004). "Egypt: economy". In Dean, Lucy (ed.). The Middle East and North Africa (50 ed.). London: Europa Publications. ISBN 978-1-85743-184-1.
- Klabbers, Jan (2002). An introduction to international institutional law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-81774-9.
- Nolan, Janne E. (1992). "Worldwide threats and implications for the U.S. force structure: the Middle East and South Asia". Worldwide military threats: implications for U.S. forces. DIANE. ISBN 9780941375665.
- Rabi, Ubi (1990). "Qatar". In Ayalon, Ami; Shaked, Haim (eds.). Middle East contemporary survey. Vol. XII 1988. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, Inc. ISBN 978-0-8133-1044-2.
- Shidlo, Gil (1993). "Third World arms exports to Iraq before and after the Gulf War". In Barzilai, Gad; Klieman, Aharon; Shidlo, Gil (eds.). The Gulf crisis and its global aftermath. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-08002-6.