A contract for the manufacture of aircraft lifts for the Royal Navy’s two new 65,000 tonne carriers was announced yesterday. The £13M contract, awarded to MacTaggart Scott of Loanhead, Scotland, means MOD orders for equipment, materials and infrastructure for the two ships, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, now total more than £160M.
Each of the carriers will have two huge lifts, which can lift 70 tonnes each – or two Joint Strike Fighters – from hangar to flight deck in 60 seconds.
The lifts and their associated motors and hydraulic machinery have been designed using established technologies to provide excellent reliability throughout the expected operating life of the carriers, up to 50 years.
Installed weight of the two lifts on each ship is around 500 tonnes and each lift platform covers 400 square metres – nearly the size of a tennis court.
Contracts announced to date include those for Identification Friend or Foe electronics, diesel generators, steel, flying control rooms, landing aids, navigation and bridge systems, infrastructure works at Rosyth dockyard to allow for the assembly of the ships, a fibre optic cable plant, a reverse osmosis plant and the aviation fuel system.
