Introduction: The CVF Project

The "Future Aircraft Carrier" (CVF) project  forms the core element - although far from the most expensive - of the MOD's Carrier Strike Programme.  The other main elements being the Joint Combat Aircraft, the Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control platform and Military Afloat Reach Sustainability (MARS) support ships. 

The requirement for CVF stems directly from the 1998 Strategic Defence Review by the then new Labour government. This policy was re-endorsed in the New Chapter work published in 2002 and then again by the Defence White Paper in December 2003.  A CVF, with its embarked air group, will provide the aviation means for excursionary warfare in support of the land campaign from the sea, avoiding the need for concrete runways and permission for overflights - i.e. the UK can intervene at a posed threat at a time of its choice.  This national capability for ships with embarked aircraft and support equipment is known collectively as ‘carrier strike’.

The Future Aircraft Carrier project - also occasionally referred to as the "Carrier Vessel for the Future" project - is expected to deliver to the Royal Navy two new aircraft carriers -  HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales as replacements for the three small (20,000 tonnes) carriers of the Invincible class.   At about 65,000 tonnes full load and 920ft long, the new carriers will in terms of both dimensions and tonnage be the largest warships ever to enter service with the Royal Navy. 

In January 2003 BAE Systems was selected as the preferred prime contractor for the CVF project, but using a Thales UK developed design concept, and the two companies formed the joint Future Carrier Alliance to build the ships.  Subsequently the project suffered badly from disputes regarding responsibilities, cost and timescales, and even the basic design features such as the ships displacement and dimensions have been subject to frequent significant changes. 

The first part of what had become a two stage Main Gate approval process was announced in December 2005 - with £300 million to be spent to completing the detailed design for CVF. 

A £3.8 "main investment" decision to actually order and build the ships (stage two of the Main Gate) was announced on 25 July 2007.  The target dates for the ships to enter service are 2014 and 2016.

Separately, France plans to build a tailored variant of CVF as the second aircraft carrier (porte-avions No.2, PA2) for the Marine Nationale (French Navy), a companion to its existing existing nuclear powered aircraft carrier FNS Charles de Gaulle.    On 24th January 2006, the UK and France agreed to co-operate to create a Common Baseline Design, based on the CVF Delta design to meet France’s requirements for an additional carrier.  Significant savings are expected to result from the UK and France sharing the detailed design costs, and some joint procurements of equipment.

Project Origins

In the mid-1990's it was expected that the Royal Navy's (RN's) three Invincible-class of small aircraft carriers would decommission between about 2010 and 2015 - after 30 years years of service.