CAIRO, Oct 15 (Aswat Masriya) – Minister of State for Military Production Mohamed al-Assar met Thursday with US ambassador Robert Stephen Beecroft and Donald Schenk, vice chairman of General Dynamics, agreeing to provide the necessary components to resume the production of tank’s in Egypt.

Egypt and the US had discussed the possibility of increasing cooperation between the two nations, to boost the volume of domestic manufacturing and exchange expertise on the development of military and heavy industry.

The Egyptian Tank Plant military factory, located in Helwan industrial zone, south of Cairo, manufactures the M1A1 military tanks and 70 tonne truck trailers, said an official in the ministry of military production.

The source, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that production recently halted because of the unavailability of the components required to complete the production process.

Egypt's relations with the U.S. were strained when the U.S. temporarily suspended its military aid to the Middle Eastern country following the army's ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July 2013, after protests against his rule.

The US resumed the aid in March 2015.

In July, Egypt received eight F-16 Block 52 air crafts from the US and is expected to receive four others this autumn. The US also delivered five M1A1 Abrams Tank turrets in July as part of $ 1.3 billion commitment to "upgrading Egypt’s security and military strength," said a US embassy statement.