Falaj 2-class patrol vessel

The Falaj 2 class is a pair of stealth inshore patrol vessels built for the Navy of the United Arab Emirates. The design is based on the Italian Diciotti-class offshore patrol vessel, which itself descends from the experimental Saettia missile boat that Fincantieri built as a demonstrator. The Emirates ordered the ships in 2009 or 2010 as part of a package that also included the Abu Dhabi-class corvette, and Fincantieri built them at its Muggiano yard in La Spezia. Each boat is about 55 metres long with a beam of 8.8 metres, can exceed 20 knots and carries a crew of 29. Their special hull geometry makes them hard to detect by radar, and they can patrol, watch coasts and defend against air and surface threats. The first boat, Ghantut, was delivered in January 2013. The contract carried an option for two more boats to be built locally by Etihad Ship Building, a joint venture of Fincantieri with Emirati and Melara partners.