§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the construction of the(a) second and (b) third units of the Astute Class. [134955]
§ Mr. IngramConstruction of the second and third Astute Class submarines is proceeding in accordance with the agreed programme.
The keel of the second submarine, HMS Ambush, was laid on 22 October 2003 by the Minister for Defence Procurement, at BAE Systems' shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness. Construction is progressing well and we are confident that the same high levels of fabrication quality seen on HMS Astute will be achieved on HMS Ambush.
428WConstruction of the third boat in the Class, HMS Artful, is underway, with the manufacture of hull rings and bulkheads progressing satisfactorily.