It is reported that the proposed new aircraft carriers have reached 65% design maturity, with about 6 months to go to the current target date for Government approval to start production. The new carriers are designed to be able to generate 360 aircraft sorties in a five day period, compared with 50 to 60 sorties from the ships of the Invincible class in the same period.
The baseline planning assumption since 2003 has been that fully fitted major block construction will be shared by BAE - Govan, Swan Hunter - Tyneside and VT - Portsmouth. These blocks will then be joined together and the ships completed by Babcock - Rosyth.
Jane's Defence Weekly has now reported: -
"However, in view of severe management and performance shortcomings identified at Swan Hunter in relation to the current Bay-class Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary) programme, there is now an expectation that the Tyneside yard's role will be reduced to one of steelwork contractor.
As a consequence, BAE Systems Submarines at Barrow-in-Furness is instead expected to play a more significant role in the block building programme."
Oh dear! I wonder who passed that observation to the technical press? It looks as though the old emnities between the British shipyards are still continuing.
Fred
The baseline planning assumption since 2003 has been that fully fitted major block construction will be shared by BAE - Govan, Swan Hunter - Tyneside and VT - Portsmouth. These blocks will then be joined together and the ships completed by Babcock - Rosyth.
Jane's Defence Weekly has now reported: -
"However, in view of severe management and performance shortcomings identified at Swan Hunter in relation to the current Bay-class Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary) programme, there is now an expectation that the Tyneside yard's role will be reduced to one of steelwork contractor.
As a consequence, BAE Systems Submarines at Barrow-in-Furness is instead expected to play a more significant role in the block building programme."
Oh dear! I wonder who passed that observation to the technical press? It looks as though the old emnities between the British shipyards are still continuing.
Fred