GMT, March 23, 2009 The construction of the Royal Navy's two future Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers continues to gain momentum with the announcement of £80million worth of equipment sub-contracts.
Artist's impression of the future carrier
The latest announcement on the carriers made this morning, Monday 23 March 2009, sees several UK companies being involved in the work to deploy offensive air power in support of the full spectrum of future operations.
The sub-contracts cover several aspects of the carriers including: £57m for insulation systems by Ticon Ltd UK, based in Glasgow, sustaining some 350 jobs; £25m for communication systems by Thales UK, Crawley site, West Sussex, which will secure up to 50 jobs; and £1m for water treatment by the Ormandy Group, based in Bradford, West Yorkshire.
Minister for Defence Equipment and Support Quentin Davies said: "Today's sub-contracts will help to strengthen UK industry sustaining over 400 jobs across a variety of companies, while also adding to the momentum of their construction programme.
"The Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers are vitally important to our future defence capabilities, allowing us to project air power at a time and place of our choosing."
Tony Graham, head of Capital Ships within MOD's Defence Equipment and Support, attended the signing ceremony at Thales UK and said: "The Aircraft Carrier Alliance has now placed sub-contracts for almost 40% of the total value of the materials and equipment required to build both ships, and we are pressing ahead into full scale production in the shipyards. The UK's future aircraft carriers are already off the drawing board and becoming a physical reality - the Queen Elizabeth Class."
The Glasgow-based Ticon Ltd UK will supply the insulation systems to be used throughout the ship which will prevent the transfer of noise and heat and protect the ship from the spread of fire.
Thales UK will cover both onboard and fleet-wide communications. Onboard it will ensure that that crew have access to information and are in communication with their colleagues across the ship at all times. The system will use internet networks to transmit data and voice in the same way as modern businesses and offices communicate. Fleet-wide (external to the ship) includes a high frequency system to provide long-range communications between the ship, other vessels and land bases.
The Bradford-based Ormandy Group will deliver equipment for treatment and supply of hot and cold fresh water to the accommodation spaces within the ships.
Last month Her Majesty the Queen gave her formal approval for the new class of aircraft carrier to be known as the 'Queen Elizabeth Class'. The giant hull sections that will make up the ships have been in construction since December of last year.
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About the Queen Elizabeth Class.
The contract to build the two new Aircraft Carriers for the Royal Navy - HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, was signed on 3rd July 2008. The in-service dates announced at the time of the Main Gate, 2014 and 2016, have been deferred by 1 to 2 years following MOD’s Equipment Examination.
The carriers will be the biggest and most powerful surface warships ever constructed for the UK and represent a step change in Joint Capability. They will enable the delivery of increased strategic effect and influence around the world, at a time and place of the UK’s choosing, and will be a key component of the improved expeditionary capabilities needed to confront the diverse range of threats in today’s security environment.
Key Facts
The carriers will each provide 4 acres of sovereign territory with global access.
The Flight deck will support an air wing capable of delivering significant offensive air power to support the battle ashore for prolonged periods of time.
They will be capable of carrying the widest possible range of aircraft in support of operations.
The carriers are being specifically developed to provide a well found base for the UK version of the future 5th generation of the US Joint Strike Fighter.
A versatile and adaptable design will provide for a range of roles and configurations, through life.
The carriers will each weigh 65,000 tonnes, be 280m long and 70m wide. A ship of this size is necessary to deliver the quantity of air power required.
The ships will be capable of 25 knots.
They will have a total complement (with air group) of approximately 1500 people
Existing Contractual Commitments
Notable contracts placed by the ACA to date, by region, are as follows:
North East
Wholeship Pumps - £4M
Uptakes and Downtakes - £8M
Modular Cabins and Wet Spaces – £23M
Furniture Matrix - £4.5M
South East
Galley Equipment - £3.5M
South West
Vertical Landing Aids (VLA) - £7M
Gas Turbine - £19M
Integrated Plaform Management System (IPMS) - £21M
Low Voltage (LV) - £25M
Shaftline & Propeller - £22M
Midlands
Heavily Mechanised Weapons Handling System (HMWHS) – £33M
High Voltage (HV) - £79M
Yorkshire
Steel - £63M
Scotland
Aircraft Lifts - £13M
Doors and Hatches - £4M
