IN Brief:
- The second BR71 MK II corvette was launched at ADSB’s Abu Dhabi shipyard on 29 October and disclosed on 4 November.
- The three-ship programme incorporates French design and construction expertise with shipbuilding and systems integration in the UAE.
- Six HT-100 NAVAL unmanned helicopters have completed factory acceptance, with installation and shipboard integration still to follow.
EDGE Group has launched the second BR71 MK II corvette for the Angolan Navy, marking the first construction of the class at its Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) yard. The 71-metre NRA Nimi-ya-Lukeni (F301) entered the water on 29 October 2026, with the milestone disclosed on 4 November. The launch follows technology transfer from France and represents a new industrial stage in Angola’s three-vessel programme.
The €1 billion agreement signed in February 2023 covers three corvettes and associated naval equipment. ADSB holds the delivery responsibility, while French shipbuilder CMN Naval designed and constructed the first vessel, NRA Ekuikui II (F300), launched at Cherbourg in March 2026. CMN is also building the third corvette in France. Construction of the second at ADSB therefore tests whether the class design and production arrangements can be transferred between shipyards while maintaining a consistent naval configuration.
At Abu Dhabi, that transfer has progressed from design documentation to fabrication and assembly of a 71-metre hull. A second production site must work to the same drawings, material requirements, welding procedures, dimensional tolerances, and inspection standards used for the lead ship. Launch establishes a substantial hull construction milestone; fitting out, testing, and final customer acceptance follow a separate sequence.
The hull entered the water on 29 October, before EDGE reported the milestone on 4 November. Harbour tests, installation of combat equipment, trials of ship systems, and naval acceptance still lie ahead. The company has not published a revised handover date for Nimi-ya-Lukeni, so its launch is evidence of construction progress rather than a completed transfer to operational service.
The three corvettes are intended to give Angola multi-mission surface combatants equipped for surveillance and naval protection duties. EDGE’s original contract description identifies a three-dimensional radar, electronic warfare equipment, secure communications, a main gun, and surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missile systems among the class’s planned capabilities. Those systems place substantial demands on shipboard power, cooling, communications, and the combat management architecture that must connect sensors with weapons and operators.
The ships will also carry equipment from ANAVIA, EDGE’s Switzerland-based unmanned helicopter business. The intended fit is two HT-100 NAVAL vertical take-off and landing aircraft per corvette. Six helicopter systems completed factory acceptance trials in Bilten in August 2026 and have been delivered to Angola. Their installation aboard the ships and trials of the integrated capability remain future stages of the programme.
Equipped with electro-optical and infrared payloads, the HT-100 helicopters are intended to extend surveillance beyond the ship’s immediate visual horizon. Sensor observations have to reach operators through compatible communications and control interfaces, and the combat management system must present those observations alongside information from shipboard sensors. The aircraft also require launch, recovery, and handling arrangements suited to a moving deck.
Factory acceptance trials at ANAVIA assessed the helicopter systems before shipboard installation. Integration has a different scope: radio links, the ship’s control stations, deck procedures, maintenance access, and mission data handling all have to function as one arrangement. EDGE previously identified sea trials in Angola as the stage following vessel integration, rather than treating the factory tests as proof of readiness at sea.
The Angolan agreement includes smaller craft alongside the three corvettes. ADSB has already delivered 12-metre and 16-metre high-speed interceptor vessels under the programme. Their inclusion broadens the industrial and support scope of the €1 billion agreement, which covers more than the construction of three warship hulls. Training, spares, maintenance, and different operating profiles will have to be accommodated across the resulting fleet.
Producing the second corvette in Abu Dhabi marks the programme’s first completed hull launch stage outside CMN’s French yard. The next work will place different demands on ADSB’s workforce: outfitting requires installation and alignment of machinery, electrical services, sensors, and weapons, followed by checks that the integrated equipment meets the vessel’s design requirements. EDGE has not published a separate UAE domestic content figure for this ship.
A fleet built across two countries also depends on disciplined configuration control. Design revisions and equipment substitutions must be reflected in drawings, spares lists, software versions, and acceptance records at both shipyards. The addition of ANAVIA aircraft creates further interfaces between flight operations, sensors, communications, and the naval combat system, which will be tested as the vessels progress through outfitting and trials.
The 4 November disclosure puts a second BR71 MK II hull into the water and establishes ADSB’s first domestic build of the class. Remaining programme milestones include completion of outfitting, harbour and sea trials, the integration of the six unmanned helicopters across the three ships, and formal acceptance by Angola. EDGE has not disclosed a completion date for those remaining stages.
