Thales strengthens its team for Royal Navy CVF bid

Sea Power, Mar 2002 by Preston, Antony

SEA POWER INTERNATIONAL

The French electronics giant Thales (formerly Thomson-CSF) has recruited Devonport Royal Dockyard (DML) to its consortium bidding for the construction of the U.K. Royal Navy's future aircraft carriers (CVFs), joining Lockheed Martin, British Maritime Technology (BMT), Raytheon, Alsthom, and Qinetiq. DML, the privatized former Devonport navy yard, specializes in the overhaul of nuclear submarines and surface warships.

Although Secretary of State for Defence Geoff Hoon previously insisted that a Thales victory in the battle against the BAE Systems consortium will never result in either of the two 50,000-ton CVFs being built in France, the new development underlines the continued Thales interest in that possibility. The U.K. Ministry of Defence (MOD) is about to start the second phase of the bidding process, but main gate approval is not due for another two years. The MOD wants to have CVF 01 in service by 2012, and her sister CVF 02 by 2015.

BAE Systems leads the other consortium-which includes Rolls-Royce, Vosper Thornycroft, Harland & Wolff, Alenia Marconi Systems, and Northrop Grumman-and hopes to build at least one CVF at its Barrow in Furness yard, the largest covered building berth in Europe and one of the largest in the world. Harland & Wolff is one of the few contenders with building berths long enough to build such a large ship. Both consortia are concerned at the enormous cost of preparing their bids, and want to see a resolution of the competition as early as possible.

By ANTONY PRESTON

Antony Preston, a London-based naval analyst and broadcaster, is co-- founder of the international newsletter NAVINT.