UK carrier contract

The UK

has announced a £3bn contract for two future aircraft carriers with BVT Surface Fleet and the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, which will perform the manufacturing phase of the carrier programme (CVF).

The contract includes £1,325m to BVT and £300m to BAE Systems for the construction of giant sections of both ships; £675m to Babcock Marine for the bow section, final assembly and completion of the ships; £425m to Thales UK for design and engineering; and £275m to BAE for design and supply of mission systems for its Integrated Systems Technologies (Insyte).

Defence secretary Des Browne said: ‘The two aircraft carriers will provide our forces with the world-class capabilities they will need over the coming decades. They will support peace-keeping and conflict prevention, as well as our strategic operational priorities.’

Alex Dorrian, Thales UK CEO, said: ‘This means that the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, of which Thales UK is a founding partner, can now begin construction of these ships. We are proud to have been involved from the very early stages in the design of what will be the Royal Navy's largest and most powerful warships.