diff --git a/Modules/Platform/AIX.cmake b/Modules/Platform/AIX.cmake
index d6b6af0129..455586d4fd 100644
--- a/Modules/Platform/AIX.cmake
+++ b/Modules/Platform/AIX.cmake
@@ -12,6 +12,9 @@ SET(CMAKE_PLATFORM_REQUIRED_RUNTIME_PATH /usr/lib /lib)
 SET(CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_RUNTIME_C_FLAG "-Wl,-blibpath:")
 SET(CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_RUNTIME_C_FLAG_SEP ":")
 
+# Files named "libfoo.a" may actually be shared libraries.
+SET_PROPERTY(GLOBAL PROPERTY TARGET_ARCHIVES_MAY_BE_SHARED_LIBS 1)
+
 # CXX Compiler
 IF(CMAKE_COMPILER_IS_GNUCXX) 
   SET(CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_CREATE_CXX_FLAGS "-shared -Wl,-G")       # -shared
diff --git a/Source/cmComputeLinkInformation.cxx b/Source/cmComputeLinkInformation.cxx
index b079f9d75a..10a0653793 100644
--- a/Source/cmComputeLinkInformation.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmComputeLinkInformation.cxx
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #include "cmLocalGenerator.h"
 #include "cmMakefile.h"
 #include "cmTarget.h"
+#include "cmake.h"
 
 #include <ctype.h>
 
@@ -222,6 +223,7 @@ cmComputeLinkInformation
   this->Makefile = this->Target->GetMakefile();
   this->LocalGenerator = this->Makefile->GetLocalGenerator();
   this->GlobalGenerator = this->LocalGenerator->GetGlobalGenerator();
+  this->CMakeInstance = this->GlobalGenerator->GetCMakeInstance();
 
   // The configuration being linked.
   this->Config = config;
@@ -649,6 +651,11 @@ void cmComputeLinkInformation::AddSharedDepItem(std::string const& item,
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 void cmComputeLinkInformation::ComputeLinkTypeInfo()
 {
+  // Check whether archives may actually be shared libraries.
+  this->ArchivesMayBeShared =
+    this->CMakeInstance->GetPropertyAsBool(
+      "TARGET_ARCHIVES_MAY_BE_SHARED_LIBS");
+
   // First assume we cannot do link type stuff.
   this->LinkTypeEnabled = false;
 
@@ -1260,8 +1267,20 @@ cmComputeLinkInformation::AddLibraryRuntimeInfo(std::string const& fullPath,
   std::string file = cmSystemTools::GetFilenameName(fullPath);
   if(!this->ExtractSharedLibraryName.find(file.c_str()))
     {
-    // This is not the name of a shared library.
-    return;
+    // On some platforms (AIX) a shared library may look static.
+    if(this->ArchivesMayBeShared)
+      {
+      if(!this->ExtractStaticLibraryName.find(file.c_str()))
+        {
+        // This is not the name of a shared library or archive.
+        return;
+        }
+      }
+    else
+      {
+      // This is not the name of a shared library.
+      return;
+      }
     }
 
   // Include this library in the runtime path ordering.
diff --git a/Source/cmComputeLinkInformation.h b/Source/cmComputeLinkInformation.h
index c5f3778936..be3275c9f6 100644
--- a/Source/cmComputeLinkInformation.h
+++ b/Source/cmComputeLinkInformation.h
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 
 #include <cmsys/RegularExpression.hxx>
 
+class cmake;
 class cmGlobalGenerator;
 class cmLocalGenerator;
 class cmMakefile;
@@ -79,6 +80,7 @@ private:
   cmMakefile* Makefile;
   cmLocalGenerator* LocalGenerator;
   cmGlobalGenerator* GlobalGenerator;
+  cmake* CMakeInstance;
 
   // Configuration information.
   const char* Config;
@@ -114,6 +116,7 @@ private:
   std::string SharedLinkTypeFlag;
   bool LinkTypeEnabled;
   void SetCurrentLinkType(LinkType lt);
+  bool ArchivesMayBeShared;
 
   // Link item parsing.
   void ComputeItemParserInfo();
diff --git a/Source/cmake.cxx b/Source/cmake.cxx
index b5bf0dcdbc..271a6b62d7 100644
--- a/Source/cmake.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmake.cxx
@@ -3245,6 +3245,13 @@ void cmake::DefineProperties(cmake *cm)
      "platform supports shared libraries. Basically all current general "
      "general purpose OS do so, the exception are usually embedded systems "
      "with no or special OSs.");
+
+  cm->DefineProperty
+    ("TARGET_ARCHIVES_MAY_BE_SHARED_LIBS", cmProperty::GLOBAL,
+     "Set if shared libraries may be named like archives.",
+     "On AIX shared libraries may be named \"lib<name>.a\".  "
+     "This property is set to true on such platforms.");
+
   cm->DefineProperty
     ("FIND_LIBRARY_USE_LIB64_PATHS", cmProperty::GLOBAL,
      "Whether FIND_LIBRARY should automatically search lib64 directories.",