BEIRUT — United Arab Emirates defense giant EDGE Group announced today that it has delivered six HT 100 NAVAL unmanned helicopters to the Angolan navy, as part of a €1 billion ($1.2 billion) deal struck in 2023.
The delivery took place after the robo-helos completed Factory Acceptance Trials (FAT) conducted at the end of August in Switzerland at facilities belonging to ANAVIA, an EDGE subsidiary that produces the aircraft.
“The successful trials included the first operational flying tests of all six HT-100 NAVAL systems and represent a significant milestone in the programme,” the company said. “Following completion of the FAT, all six systems were successfully delivered to the Angolan Navy, marking an important step towards their integration with the BR71 MK II corvettes and the delivery of an enhanced maritime surveillance and reconnaissance capability.”
In 2023 Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB), another EDGE subsidiary, inked the $1 billion-plus deal with the Angolan navy, with three 71-meter (233-foot) BR71 MK II corvette ships as the big ticket items.
The unmanned helicopters are expected to serve onboard the corvettes, two on each vessel, and will be “fully integrated with the corvettes’ combat management systems,” according to EDGE statement. The company added that the helicopters are equipped with electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors to increase the corvettes surveillance and recon capabilities.
“Through close collaboration across EDGE, ADSB, and ANAVIA, we are combining naval platforms and unmanned systems to deliver an integrated solution aligned with Angola’s operational requirements,” said EDGE’s platforms and systems president, Khaled Al Zaabi, in the statement.
ADSB subcontracted French shipbuilder CMN naval to build the first and third corvette in its shipyard in Cherbourg, France. The second is under construction in Abu Dhabi.
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Beyond Angola, in a February interview ADSB CEO David Massey told Breaking Defense that his company has export “ambitions in Asia, West and East Africa and Brazil. More than 50 percent of ADSB’s order book will be for export for the foreseeable future.”