Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB), the naval shipbuilding entity of the UAE's EDGE Group, launched a new corvette for the Angolan Navy at its shipyard in Abu Dhabi on October 29.
NRA Nimi-ya-Lukeni (F301) is the second of three BR71 MK II corvettes ordered under a €1 billion ($1.13 billion) contract signed in 2023. It is the first vessel of the class to be built in the UAE.
EDGE said the ship was constructed following a transfer of technology from France's CMN Naval, which designed the class.
ADSB is prime contractor for the programme. CMN Naval is building the first and third corvettes in Cherbourg, where lead ship NRA Ekuikui II (F300) was launched on March 4.
Each corvette will carry two HT-100 Naval unmanned helicopters from Anavia, EDGE's Switzerland-based subsidiary. The aircraft are fitted with sensors for electro-optical and infrared use and will be integrated with the ships' combat management systems.
All six aircraft were delivered after factory acceptance trials at Anavia’s facility in Bilten in August.
ADSB attributed much of the growth in its first-quarter 2026 revenue to the Angola contract. Revenue for the quarter was AED426 million, up from AED253 million a year earlier.
The BR71 MK II is an evolution of the UAE Navy's Baynunah class. The corvette has a length overall of 70.30 metres, a beam of 11 metres and a full-load displacement of approximately 900 tonnes.
It is powered by four MTU diesels driving four Kongsberg waterjets, giving a maximum speed of 30 knots and a range of 2,500 nautical miles at 12 knots.
Armament comprises eight MBDA Exocet MM40 Block 3C missiles, a Leonardo OTO 76/62 Super Rapido gun and eight vertical-launch cells for VL MICA surface-to-air missiles.