Carriers to be electric powered

The flight deck will be as big as 49 tennis courts

A £235m contract to build two electrically-powered Royal Navy aircraft carriers has been signed.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) says HMS Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales will be more fuel efficient compared to older ships.

The 280-metre long "super carriers" will cost around £4bn, and should be operating within six to eight years.

The Navy says the ships' design represents a "step change" in the way warships are powered.

The carriers will carry more than 8,500 tonnes of fuel and have diesel and gas turbine driven generators.

Less fuel

An MoD spokesman said: "Using electrical transmission, it will only be necessary for the two aircraft carriers to run sufficient generating capacity to meet immediate needs.

"Less fuel will be used overall so the environmental impact will be greatly reduced. The future aircraft carriers' engines will also comply with all current emissions legislation."

The £235m-worth of contracts signed in Fareham are for gas turbines and generators, motors and propellers, as well as rudders and stabilisers.

Thales UK, the UK's second largest defence company, will be responsible for the procurement, systems design and overall systems integration of the power and propulsion of the warships.

The equipment will be integrated into the ships in the most cost effective way, according to Rear Admiral Bob Love, director general of the Navy's defence equipment and support division.

He said, "The new carriers represent a series of firsts for the Fleet and this latest propulsion technology has not yet been seen in the Royal Navy on this scale.

The carriers are being built at Portsmouth and Glasgow

"This is a step change in the way our ships are powered and, as well as boosting capacity, will significantly improve fuel efficiency enabling uninterrupted long distance deployments and reducing running costs."

Two gas turbines for the ships will be built in Bristol and the generators will built in Rugby.

Electricity will be used to power the ships, enable the launch and recovery of aircraft and provide lighting, cooking and heating for the crews.

The MoD believes there will be enough energy to supply a town "the size of Swindon" to power the largest ships ever sailed by the Navy.

Housing 1,450 Royal Navy and RAF personnel, the carriers will have flight-decks as big as 49 tennis courts and be capable of carrying up to 40 aircraft. They are being constructed in shipyards at Portsmouth and Barrow-in-Furness, Glasgow, with final assembly at Babcock's Rosyth.

The MoD estimates that the design and build the vessels will involve the work of 10,000 people.