7/7/2026
Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has held talks with executives from Chinese defence technology company China Aerospace Long-March International Co., Ltd (ALIT) on expanding defence cooperation, the military said.
The meeting took place in the western city of Fort Portal and follows Kainerugaba’s official visit to China last year, during which he toured several advanced defence technology companies.
ALIT is a subsidiary of the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), one of China’s leading aerospace and defence conglomerates.
The company specialises in air defence systems, precision-guided weapons, unmanned aerial platforms and border and coastal surveillance technologies.
It also works with foreign militaries through joint development, co-production and technology transfer arrangements.
The Chinese delegation was led by Technical Programme Director Chen Yan and included Lead Advisor Liu Yin and Defence Systems Director Teng Yaze.
Welcoming the delegation, Kainerugaba reaffirmed Uganda’s longstanding ties with China and said the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces preferred to deal directly with original equipment manufacturers.
We prefer to work directly with original manufacturers because it ensures reliability and strategic partnership,” Kainerugaba said.
The discussions form part of the UPDF’s broader efforts to modernise its aerospace capabilities and strengthen national security infrastructure through international technology partnerships.
Uganda and China have maintained close diplomatic and military ties for decades, with Beijing providing training, military equipment and technical support to the UPDF as the two countries deepen broader economic and strategic cooperation.
During Kainerugaba’s visit to China last year, he toured several state-owned defence manufacturers, including aviation and arms technology firms, before meeting his Chinese counterpart, General Liu Zhenli, in Beijing, where the two sides reaffirmed military cooperation and signed an agreement to expand collaboration in training, technology transfer and defence exchanges.
