China has issued a license to an Egyptian airplane maker to assemble the Chinese-made K-8E fighter jet trainer, as part of a 345 million dollar Egyptian purchase of 80 of the planes, state press said Tuesday.
The license was granted to Egypt's A.O.I Aircraft Factory by the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC), the Xinhua news agency reported.
In 1999, Egypt signed a deal to buy 80 of the jets and its production line, the report said.
Unconfirmed reports said that some 45 planes were to be assembled in Egypt under license, while the two countries signed another deal for 40 K-8E kits earlier this year.
The K-8E aircraft is designed for training missions such as acrobatic, night and spin flights as well as for armament operation training, Xinhua said.
The planes can also serve as regular fighter jets.
The plane was originally jointly developed by China's Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Company and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in the late 1980s, with Pakistan providing 25 per cent of the funding.
