§ Lord Astor of Heverasked Her Majesty's Government:
When a decision will be taken on the procurement of the Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control platform for the carrier air group, and how this will influence the timing of the decision for the final aircraft carrier design. [HL1655]
§ Lord BachWe are continuing to refine our plans for the maritime airborne surveillance and control (MASC) programme and currently expect to take the main investment decision towards the end of the decade. This will be preceded by an assessment phase. The MASC and future carrier (CVF) programmes are structured to allow decisions on the aircraft carrier design to proceed as the MASC solution envolves. Work continues to investigate all potential MASC solutions that are compatible with the CVF.