The UAE Navy has ordered four new offshore patrol vessels from the Emirati shipbuilder Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB), ADSB announced Tuesday through the state defense conglomerate EDGE.
The Ministry of Defense has awarded a 3.5 billion dirham ($952.8 million) contract to ADSB to produce four Falaj 3-Class Offshore Patrol Vessels, the “largest-ever order” received by the company.
Chairman of ADSB and the President of Mission Support for Edge, Khalid Al Breiki, said in a press release that “the contract will provide the company with a platform for sustainable, profitable growth, while maintaining strategic national assets that are critical to the defense of the UAE.”
The ships are expected to allow the UAE Navy to “negotiate all aspects of modern naval warfare” using weapons that will “will more than match the expectations.” The Falaj 3-class is a flexible and versatile offshore patrol vessel capable of operating in littoral and blue waters. It also features a state-of-the-art combat management system, sensors, and weapons.
“The contract mandates ADSB to build four Falaj 3-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) for the UAE Navy. The construction will take place at our shipyard in Mussafah that spans over 300,000 square meters,” ADSB CEO David Massey told Defense News. He added work is expected to begin beginning in the fourth quarter of 2021 and be completed within five years.
The ADSB has previously built Baynunah-class corvettes for the UAE Navy, with the most recent delivered in 2017. ADSB runs three main naval programs: corvettes, offshore patrol vessels, and fast patrol boats. It also provides maintenance, repair, refit, upgrade, conversion, as well as engineering consultancy services. EDGE owns 40 percent of ADSB while 10 percent is owned by the Abu Dhabi government.