ADSB launches second BR71 Mk II corvette for Angola
The second BR71 MK II corvette for the Angolan Navy, NRA Nimi Ya Lukeni (F301), launched at Edge Group's Abu Dhabi Ship Building's yard in Abu Dhabi in late October 2026. (Edge Group)
United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Edge Group launched the second BR71 Mk II corvette for the Angolan Navy, the first vessel of the class to be built in the UAE, the company announced on 4 November 2026.
The corvette, to be the Angolan Navy's NRA Nimi Ya Lukeni (F301), was constructed by Edge subsidiary Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) in Abu Dhabi. Although Edge described the milestone as a launch, the accompanying imagery did not show the corvette afloat. A vessel seen in the water alongside the ship lift was a Falaj 3 patrol vessel.
An Edge representative told Janes on 4 November that the second BR71 Mk II was launched in the last week of October 2026. The second vessel will undergo fitting out and testing and is scheduled for delivery in 2027. The first BR71 MkII, launched in France in March, is undergoing fitting out and testing and is scheduled for delivery at the end of 2026, the representative added, speaking at the Euronaval 2026 exhibition, held in Paris from 3-6 November. A representative of France's Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie (CMN), told Janes on 4 November that the third BR71 Mk II is due for delivery to the Angolan Navy in February 2027.
The corvettes form part of a EUR1 billion naval programme contracted in February 2023 that includes the three BR71 Mk IIs. ADSB is the prime contractor, with CMN building the first and third corvettes in Cherbourg. Construction of the second vessel in Abu Dhabi is supported by technology transfer from CMN.
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