Italian Leonardo to equip Kuwait’s new Falaj 3 missile boats

Italian defence company Leonardo has signed a €320 million agreement with Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) to provide naval combat systems for the Kuwait Naval Force missile boat programme.

The agreement covers the integration of combat systems into the Falaj 3 configuration for the Al Dorra missile boats and comes at a time of heightened regional tensions linked to the ongoing conflict involving Iran, as Emirati media reports.

ADSB is a subsidiary of the UAE’s Edge Group, which focuses on advanced military technologies including weapons systems, cyber defence, and electronic warfare, and oversees more than 35 affiliated companies.

The company has also played a major role in the UAE’s air defence efforts following missile and drone attacks launched by Tehran against infrastructure and energy facilities in 2026. According to reports, more than 85 percent of drones involved in those attacks were intercepted or disrupted using jamming systems developed by Edge Group.

“This contract represents a significant milestone in the strategic partnership with Edge and ADSB,” Leonardo said in a statement on May 20. “It reinforces a well-established and successful collaboration that has already led to the delivery of more than 25 naval units.”

Last year, Edge announced a $2.45 billion contract with Kuwait’s Ministry of Defence to supply Falaj 3 62-meter missile boats, marking what the company described as the region’s largest naval shipbuilding export agreement.

David Massey told Emirati outlet The National that Leonardo’s relationship with ADSB stretches back more than two decades.

“Leonardo has a relationship with ADSB going back over 20 years because they were the supplier of the 76mm main gun on the original Baynunah class of corvettes, which are in service with the UAE navy,” Massey said.

Leonardo also supplied radar systems and the computerized combat management systems used on the Baynunah-class corvettes now operated by the United Arab Emirates Navy.

According to Massey, the same systems are being installed on the Falaj 3 missile boats under construction for Kuwait. ADSB is expected to build eight vessels for Kuwait, with deliveries projected over the next five to six years.

ADSB, which is listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, specializes in the production of corvettes, offshore patrol vessels, and fast patrol boats, while also providing maintenance, repair, refit, and vessel conversion services.

By Nazrin Sadigova