Defence Contracts International (DCI) examined the MOD’s plans to scrap the HMS Ark Royal in a recent blog. Following a new MOD press release, we now explore the future of the entire Invincible fleet in detail.
The Royal Navy’s Invincible Class aircraft carriers – HMS Invincible, HMS Illustrious and HMS Ark Royal – will all be fully retired after 2014 when the last of the Invincible ships, HMS Illustrious, will be decommissioned.
HMS Invincible was decommissioned in 2005 and later recycled. The 31 year old HMS Ark Royal was recently announced to have been sold for scrap for £2.9 million. For HMS Illustrious, the MOD is announcing its intention to seek proposals from organisations interested in preserving her as a lasting tribute to the work of the Invincible Class, which played key roles in conflicts in the Falkland Islands, Iraq and Bosnia.
The MOD has also announced that new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers will replace the Invincible fleet after 2014.
Speaking on the future of the Royal Navy, Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology Philip Dunne said: “The Royal Navy’s new Queen Elizabeth Class carriers and the Lightning II aircraft that will fly off them are among the biggest projects of the now fully funded equipment programme that will see around £160 billion spent on equipment and support for our Armed Forces of the future.”
Replacing the fleet will present massive opportunities for the procurement industry as a whole, and preserving the HMS Illustrious is also set to offer taxpayers good value for money.
