Get Guardian on GoogleArridex Group, an industrial technology group, has positioned its newly launched ADX-Barra Series of autonomous surface vessels, comprising the ADX-Barra 200 and the ADX-Barra 100, as a force multiplier for maritime security.
The two vessels, built by Arridex engineers and delivered through Helagon, the Group’s joint venture with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), anchored Arridex’s presence at the Africa International Defence Exhibition (AFRIDEX 2026).
The ADX-Barra 200 was officially unveiled at the exhibition on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, by the President of the Senate, Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio. Dignitaries that joined the unveiling included the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat; the Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Matawalle; the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson; and the Director-General of DICON, Babatunde Ibrahim Alaya, together with the Service Chiefs of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and visiting defence chiefs and delegation leaders from across Africa.
Across these engagements and in his address at the unveiling, Group Chief Executive Officer, Arridex, KayodeAdeleke, consistently emphasised the strategic importance of developing indigenous autonomous maritime capabilities.
He presented the ADX-Barra Series as an example of how local design, engineering and manufacturing can strengthen defence capacity, deepen technical expertise and give Nigeria greater control over the development and sustainment of critical maritime systems.
Describing the two vessels as the first autonomous surface vessels made in Nigeria and in West Africa, he invited the armed services and other interested stakeholders to see them at work through demonstrations arranged at their convenience.
Adeleke said: “The ADX-Barra Series is a force multiplier, extending the reach of the forces who protect our waters while keeping their personnel out of harm’s way. Our region has its own conditions, and they call for systems that can be adjusted to fit them. Building those systems here, and keeping the expertise to improve them here, is the value we intend to keep adding to the defence ecosystem.
“Safeguarding shipping routes, offshore energy infrastructure and coastal waters in the Gulf of Guinea requires sustained surveillance and effective operational coverage. Autonomous surface vessels can support that work by extending patrol and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) into areas where deploying crewed vessels may expose personnel to greater risk.
Adeleke said Arridex Group is committed to building defence capability at home, resting on industrial capacity already in place.
The group commissioned the Omnifactory, West Africa’s first multi-technology industrial additive manufacturing facility in June 2026, which is due for commissioning in 2027.
