The UAE sells Baynunah MK2 corvettes to the Angolan Navy for 1 billion euros

The UAE sells Baynunah MK2 corvettes to the Angolan Navy for 1 billion euros.

The contract was announced on February 20, at the exhibition at IDEX in Abu Dhabi.  This is a real commercial breakthrough for the UAE's military industry. Never has an Arab country exported arms for such a contract amount.

The announcement of the sale did not specify how many units are planned, but we estimate that for one billion euros, the supply of 4 or 5 corvettes is possible.

EDGE's Abu Dhabi Ship Building Company (ADSB) will build a fleet of 71-meter BR71 MKII corvettes equipped with advanced mission systems as part of the agreement.

"The BR71 Mk II corvette warship is a highly advanced multi-mission vessel capable of securing Angola's 1,600km coastline," said David Massey, CEO of Emirati company ADSB.

The BR71 Mk II combat corvette is an advanced version of the Baynunah class (BR 71 design) developed by the French shipyard CMN, which is part of the Privinvest shipbuilding group. The ship is designed for coastal warfare defensive operations against air and surface threats, patrol, law enforcement, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

The corvette has a crew of 50 and has a top speed of 30 knots and a range of 2,500 nautical miles at a speed of 12 knots. It is powered by four MTU engines. It can accommodate a 5-ton helicopter on the aft deck and two 6-meter RHIB boats. The main armament of the corvette is a 76 or 57 mm gun, supported by two 20 or 30 mm machine guns It can also fire Exocet anti-ship missiles  as  well as surface-to-air missiles.

EDGE describes the corvette BR71 Mk II as an advanced ship equipped with advanced mission systems, including 3D radar, electronic warfare suite, secure communications, main gun, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missile systems.

ADSB has built half a dozen Baynunah-class corvettes    for the UAE-A Navy, with the lead ship being built by CMN  in France and the others in the UAE.

This fleet of modern corvettes will give Angola relative naval supremacy over neighboring navies.