Aircraft Carriers (Hansard, 27 July 1999)

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which United Kingdom shipbuilders have facilities to build an aircraft carrier with a displacement in excess of 45,000 tons. [92400]

§ Mr. Spellar
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Croydon, South (Mr. Ottaway) on 16 July 1999,Official Report, column 352. The size of the new aircraft carriers is currently estimated to be up to 40,000 tonnes.

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what options have been considered for aircraft208W types to operate from the two new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy. [92420]

§ Mr. George Robertson
This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Sir Robert Walmsley to Mr. Mike Hancock, dated 27 July 1999: I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the aircraft options for the new aircraft carriers. This matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief of Defence Procurement and Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. The combat aircraft to equip the two new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy is known as the Future Carrier-Borne Aircraft (FCBA). A strong contender for FCBA is a variant of the US Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), and the UK is participating in the Concept Demonstration Phase of its development. We are also assessing a navalised version of the Eurofighter, the US F-18 Super Hornet, the French Rafale-M and an advanced version of the Harrier. No decision has yet been made on the choice of aircraft to meet the FCBA.

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the proposed(a) displaced weight and (b) overall length of the two new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy. [92421]

§ Mr. George Robertson
This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Sir Robert Walmsley to Mr. Mike Hancock, dated 27 July 1999: I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the proposed displaced weight and overall length of the two new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy. This matter falls to me to answer within my area of responsibility as Chief of Defence Procurement and Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. The current estimate is that the new aircraft carriers will displace up to 40,000 tonnes and have an overall length of approximately 300 metres. The final decision on their design, including their size, however, will be influenced by the selection of the Future Carrier-Borne Aircraft late next year.