New aircraft carrier costs to top £10 billion warns spending watchdog 07.07.11
2The cost of the new aircraft carriers is set to top 10 billion pounds as ministers are accused of failing to realise the risks of leaving Britain without one for almost a decade. That's the finding of a National Audit Office report released today that says changes to the carrier programme under the Strategic Defence and Security Review have created "significant levels of operational, technical, cost and schedule uncertainty". In a highly critical report, the NAO warned there were "major risks" surrounding its plans to reconstitute a carrier strike force from 2020 onwards. It says the Ministry of Defence will not have "matured its understanding" of the consequences of its decisions for another two years. The NAO also disclosed that military chiefs had recommended ditching the carrier programme altogether in favour of keeping more surface ships, such as frigates and destroyers.