§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what studies he has carried out on the potential to upgrade the Royal Navy's aircraft carriers to meet future requirements. [78777]
§ Mr. SpellarConcept studies have examined the feasibility of upgrading and extending the life of the current Invincible-class aircraft carriers. These studies established that the vessels would not be able to meet future requirements. However, there will be further analysis to establish the baseline against which the cost-effectiveness of the future carriers will be assessed.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence which companies have been invited to tender for the future Royal Navy aircraft carrier; and what criteria were used to select the companies. [78781]
§ Mr. SpellarBritish Aerospace Defence Systems, Marconi Electronic Systems, Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, Raytheon and Thomson-CSF have been invited to tender for the initial assessment phase of the future aircraft carrier. They were selected from the companies that had expressed interest in the tender, following an assessment of their ability to deliver the programme to cost, time and performance.