President Tinubu Unveils Arridex Group’s ADX-Barra 200 Autonomous Vessel at AFRIDEX 2026

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented by the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, today unveiled the ADX-Barra 200, an autonomous surface vessel developed by Arridex Group (formerly RusselSmith Group), at AFRIDEX 2026, the inaugural Africa International Defence Exhibition, at Eko Atlantic, Lagos.

Designed, developed and manufactured in-country, the vessel was built by Arridex through its defense subsidiary, Helagon, its joint venture with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON).

Kayode Adeleke, Group Chief Executive Officer, Arridex Group, presented the vessel at the unveiling, which was also attended by the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, and the Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Matawalle.

Speaking on behalf of the President, Senator Akpabio said, “This administration has made the growth of our defence industry a priority, because security is strongest when a nation can build, maintain and improve its own capability. What we have seen today is that capability taking shape, designed and built by local engineers in partnership with DICON. It deserves the support of the government and the confidence of our armed forces.”

Autonomous vessels extend what defence and security forces can cover on the water while keeping personnel out of harm’s way. Developing such in-country means operators can work directly with the team that designed and built it, from first deployment through the life of the vessel.

Adeleke said, “Industrial technology has already created real value across the defence ecosystem. Through Helagon, our joint venture with DICON, we set out to design autonomous systems, and the ADX-Barra 200 is the result. What sets it apart is that it was designed, developed and manufactured here, by our own engineers. For the forces who will use it, it is a force multiplier.”

With the ADX-Barra 200, Arridex Group and Helagon have delivered a game-changing autonomous maritime capability – designed, built, and sustained domestically.