(MOD) £80m sub-contracts for Queen Elizabeth class Aircraft Carriers

The construction of the Royal Navy's two future Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers continues to gain momentum with the announcement of £80m worth of equipment sub-contracts for several UK based companies.

The sub-contracts cover:

* £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;

* £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 & 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 equipments 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 (HF) 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.