EDGE Delivers Six HT-100 NAVAL VTOL Drones for Angola's BR71 MK II Corvettes

The United Arab Emirates' EDGE Group announced on 10-11 September 2026 that it has delivered six HT-100 NAVAL vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned helicopters for the Angolan Navy, after the aircraft completed Factory Acceptance Trials in Switzerland at the end of August.

The HT-100 is manufactured by ANAVIA, whose facility in Bilten, Switzerland, hosted the acceptance trials from 24 to 28 August 2026. In its naval configuration the aircraft carries electro-optical and infrared sensors for surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Neither company has published endurance, payload, range or weight figures for the delivered configuration.

The six aircraft are intended for the three BR71 MK II corvettes ordered by Angola, at a rate of two embarked systems per ship. EDGE's President of Platforms and Systems described the completion of the trials as "an important milestone in the delivery of this advanced capability to the Angolan Navy." ANAVIA's co-chief executive and founder said the milestone "demonstrates our ability to deliver a complete, fully autonomous system for shipborne operations."

The corvettes themselves are being built on two continents. CMN Naval is constructing two of the three ships at its Cherbourg yard in France, while Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) is building the third in the UAE. According to Naval News, the contract was signed in February 2023 as part of an Angolan naval modernization program worth EUR 1 billion, about $1.16 billion.

Embarking two of the unmanned helicopters on each hull gives the class its own aerial reconnaissance assets, extending a corvette's surveillance reach beyond its shipboard sensors without requiring a manned helicopter detachment. GlobalMilitary.net tracks the world's fleets in its navy inventories.

The program has moved through its industrial milestones since the 2023 signature. Steel was cut in December 2023 and the keel of the first ship was laid in March 2024. That vessel, NRA Ekuikui II, pennant number F300, was launched at Cherbourg on 4 March 2026. The delivery of the six unmanned helicopters in September therefore precedes the handover of the first hull.

Angola ranks 107th of 221 countries in GlobalMilitary.net's ATLAS ranking of global military power. Its air arm, the Angolan National Air Force, is recorded at 280 aircraft in the site's 2026 inventory.

Under the published schedule, the first corvette is expected to be delivered in October 2026, the second in April 2027 and the third in October 2027. Sea trials are to take place in Angola, which means the embarked HT-100 NAVAL systems will be worked up in the waters they are intended to patrol rather than off the builders' yards in France and the UAE.