The delivery ceremony of the Gowind® corvette Al Emarat, ordered by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Naval Group, took place on 27th June 2024 in Lorient, France, in the presence of an official delegation of the United Arab Emirates Navy, led by the Deputy Commander of the UAE Navy, Brigadier Abdulla Al Mehairbi.
Al Emarat is the second Gowind® corvette ordered by the UAE to Naval Group in 2019. Built in Lorient and launched in May 2022, she started her sea trials in October 2023, at the time when the first corvette, Bani Yas, was delivered.
The Al Emarat crew will continue in France its operational ship training provided as part of the service solutions offered by Naval Group. The ship will begin its transit to the UAE under the Emirati flag in July, with an expected arrival in Abu Dhabi in August.
‘I am very honoured to be with you on this symbolic day for Naval Group as we deliver the second Gowind Al Emarat to the UAE Navy. Naval Group has demonstrated its unwavering commitment to the success of the Bani Yas program, in close cooperation with the UAE Navy, and we are proud today to welcome our Emirati guests for the flag transfer ceremony of the Al Emarat corvette,” stated Olivier de la Bourdonnaye, Naval Group Executive Vice-President, Surface Ships.
The UAE Navy now owns sea-proven surface combatants, incorporating the most advanced technologies and adapted to their specific needs thanks to the modular design of the Gowind® family.
The Gowind® corvettes for the UAE Navy were built at Naval Group’s Lorient shipyard, incorporating equipment manufactured locally by UAE industry. Naval Group is stepping up its relationship with the United Arab Emirates Navy to best meet its future challenges. The Group is also developing its partnership with local industry, so as to offer the greatest support for the maintenance of these two Gowind® corvettes in the United Arab Emirates. This program symbolizes our commitment to deliver the state-of-the art systems to the UAE Navy and our vocation to anchor Naval Group in the country on a long-term basis, notably by developing industrial cooperation with our local partners.
Gowind® Corvettes, Multi-Mission Combat Ships Designed for Naval Superiority
The Gowind® corvette is a major success with 11 units already chosen by several navies. It offers multiple capabilities and is designed to perform at the highest level the full spectrum of naval defence and maritime security operations.
Multi-role by design, it features capabilities in all warfare areas, carefully integrated from the earliest stages of the engineering process.
Robust, well-equipped and ocean-going, the Gowind® corvette is already sea-tested, tough and stealthy. Thanks to a Combat Management System designed by Naval Group and innovative structural solutions, it integrates the latest generation of sensors and weapons. More specifically, Gowind® provides:
- High performance in all fields of combat, integrated by the SETIS combat system and an innovative modular integrated mast (PSIM)
- Automated systems for simplified use by a reduced crew
- Deployable resources (heavy helicopter, UAVs, RHIBs) to extend the ship's combat capabilities;
- Scalability to meet customer needs and incorporate the latest innovations
Technical features include:
- Overall length: 102 m
- Overall beam: 16 m
- Displacement: 2,800 tons
As an international naval defence player, Naval Group is a partner for countries seeking to maintain control of their maritime sovereignty. Naval Group develops innovative solutions to meet its customers’ requirements. Present throughout the entire life cycle of vessels, it designs, produces, integrates, supports and upgrades submarines and surface ships, as well as their systems and equipment, up to and including dismantling. It also provides shipyard and naval base services.
As a high-tech company, Naval Group draws on its outstanding expertise, unique design and production resources and ability to establish strategic partnerships, in particular within the framework of transfers of technology. Ever mindful of the issues of corporate social responsibility (CSR), Naval Group is a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact.
With operations on five continents, the group has a turnover of 4.3 billion euros and employs 16 029 people (full-time equivalents / 2022 data).
