Gen Kainerugaba Discusses Defence Cooperation With Chinese Aerospace Giant

The Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF), General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has held high-level discussions with a delegation from China Aerospace Long-March International Co., Ltd (ALIT) in Fort Portal.

ALIT, a subsidiary of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), is a state-owned enterprise with institutional roots tracing back to 1956. The company specialises in aerospace systems, offering international solutions in air defence, precision-guided systems, unmanned aerial platforms, and border and coastal surveillance. Beyond equipment supply, ALIT partners with international defence forces through joint product development, co-production, and technology transfer.

The Chinese delegation included Dr. Chen Yan (Technical Programme Director), Mr. Liu Yin (Lead Advisor), and Mr. Teng Yaze (Director of Defence Systems). The meeting builds on General Kainerugaba’s official visit to China last year, during which he toured several advanced defence technology enterprises.

Welcoming the Chinese delegation, the CDF reaffirmed Uganda’s longstanding partnership with the People’s Republic of China, acknowledging ALIT’s standing as a state-owned enterprise, and stressed the UPDF’s strategic preference for direct engagement with original manufacturers rather than working through intermediaries.

The engagement underscores the UPDF’s efforts to modernise its aerospace capabilities and strengthen national security infrastructure through international technological collaboration