Egypt has made a significant change in its defense strategy. The Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI) and Turkish tech company HAVELSAN have signed an agreement to produce the Torgha vertical take-off-and-landing unmanned aerial vehicle (VTOL-UAV) locally. This move brings advanced autonomous drones into Egypt’s industrial sector and the wider African market.
The Torgha is more than a standard quadcopter. It is built for reconnaissance and surveillance in challenging environments. The platform uses built-in artificial intelligence to process sensor data in real time. Its VTOL ability gives it the flexibility of a helicopter without requiring a runway, combined with the endurance and speed of a fixed-wing drone. This makes it ideal for Egypt’s diverse landscape, from the Sinai deserts to the important areas of the Nile Delta.
Production will take place at HAVELSAN’s new facility in Egypt and in partnership with AOI’s local factories. This marks an important step in Cairo’s effort to localize defense technology under its Vision 2030 industrial strategy. Officials say this partnership creates opportunities for self-sufficiency and for exporting to Africa and the Middle East, where the demand for affordable, durable ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) solutions is increasing.
For HAVELSAN, the deal continues a recent trend. The company’s BAHA “sub-cloud” VTOL drone has already become part of the Turkish forces. It is also a key part of a modular “digital troops” idea that combines aerial, ground, and naval unmanned systems into collaborative networks. Sharing this knowledge with Cairo could accelerate Egypt’s broader efforts in developing unmanned ground vehicles and shipborne drones, which the partners have already discussed.
Beyond hardware, the agreement holds symbolic meaning. It marks a thaw in Ankara-Cairo relations that started to improve after high-level visits in 2024. This change continues as both countries shift toward defense industrial cooperation. In short, the deal is less about launching a single factory and more about two regional powers connecting their futures—one VTOL hover at a time.
