State defense firm EdgeGroup secured a AED 9 bn (USD 2.5 bn) contract to supply Kuwait’s Defense Ministry with FALAJ3-class 62-metre missile boats, according to a press release (pdf). The agreement came during an official visit by Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Kuwait yesterday, and will be the largest shipbuilding export in the region.

Who’s doing what: Edge will act as the prime contractor, handling design, construction, trials, delivery, as well as integrated logistics support, in-service support, and ammunition supply. Edge’s naval unit Abu Dhabi Ship Building is the build subcontractor for the agreement.

FALAJ3-class? The FALAJ3-class is already in service with the UAE Navy, with the first vessel commissioned in early 2025. These boats offer advanced combat systems and capabilities that serve littoral defense missions.

This is the latest in a series of agreements Edge signed with international partners this year, having recently partnered with Hungary’s 4iG Space and Defence Technologies in April to co-develop unmanned aerial systems and space observation technologies, as well as with a South African firm to develop land systems equipment, and with European ship building group CMN Naval on a shipbuilding JV.

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