"This major order confirms the strength of our partnership with ADSB," said Cyril Marchebout, HGH’s sales director.
What HGH is supplying to Kuwait’s Al Dorra OPVs
French electro‑optics firm HGH will equip all eight offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) of Kuwait’s Al Dorra program with its SPYNEL 360‑degree infrared surveillance systems, the company announced on 25 June. The SPYNEL cameras provide continuous 360‑degree infrared coverage and will be paired with HGH’s CYCLOPE detection‑and‑tracking software on the Al Dorra ships.
Integration into Leonardo’s combat management system
HGH said the SPYNEL sensors will be integrated into Leonardo’s combat management system (CMS), the software that fuses a warship’s sensors and weapons. That integration follows a separate, larger contract: in May Leonardo signed a deal worth around €320 million with Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) to supply the Al Dorra ships’ CMS.
ADSB as prime contractor and the Al Dorra (Falaj 3) program
The SPYNEL contract was signed with Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB), the naval arm of the UAE’s EDGE Group. ADSB is building eight Al Dorra class ships — Kuwait’s version of the Falaj 3 OPV — under a head contract with Kuwait’s Ministry of Defence worth about AED 9 billion (US$2.45 billion), signed in June 2025. ADSB has described the program as the largest naval shipbuilding export in Middle Eastern history, with all eight ships due within five to six years.
The first vessel, Al Noukhitha (P 6202), was launched at ADSB in February 2026. Each ship is 62.7 metres long, displaces about 641 tonnes, and reaches 25 knots, with a range of 2,000 nautical miles at 16 knots.
How this order builds on prior HGH–ADSB work
The deal for Kuwait builds on an existing supply relationship between HGH and ADSB. HGH has already supplied eight SPYNEL systems for four OPVs under the UAE Navy’s own Falaj 3 program — the same base design Kuwait is buying — and the company said it plans a regional hub in the UAE to support Gulf customers.
How Gulf naval procurement is drawing European subsystems
The Al Dorra program is being delivered by an Emirati prime contractor, ADSB, rather than a Western or Asian shipyard, yet it involves European subsystem suppliers such as HGH and Leonardo. The combination of Leonardo’s roughly €320 million CMS contract and HGH’s SPYNEL order places European sensors and systems inside ships built by an Emirati prime for a Gulf navy.
What this means for Kuwait’s Navy, ADSB, and Gulf suppliers
- Kuwait Naval Force: The ships will arrive as a package of platform, sensors, and CMS — the first vessel has already been launched and eight are contracted, with delivery expected within five to six years. Kuwait will receive OPVs configured with continuous 360‑degree infrared surveillance and an integrated combat management system.
- ADSB and EDGE Group: ADSB is executing the head contract and continuing a supply chain that brings European subsystems into an Emirati‑led build. ADSB’s role as prime contractor and prior work on Falaj 3 for the UAE Navy anchor the program’s industrial continuity.
- European vendors (HGH, Leonardo): Both firms have secured significant subsystem roles — HGH with SPYNEL/CYCLOPE and Leonardo with the CMS — and HGH has stated plans for a UAE regional support hub to serve Gulf customers.
The Al Dorra (Falaj 3) program ties together an Emirati prime contractor, a Kuwaiti defence purchase, and European sensor and systems suppliers. With eight vessels contracted under a roughly AED 9 billion (US$2.45 billion) head contract, one ship launched in February 2026, and subsystem deals already in place, the program will test the integration of continuous infrared surveillance and combat management aboard a Gulf-built patrol platform. The next tangible milestones will be further launches, subsystem installations, and the staged deliveries ADSB has scheduled over the coming five to six years.
Source: Quwa — HGH to Equip Kuwait’s Al Dorra (Falaj 3) OPVs With SPYNEL Infrared Surveillance
