True costs of scaling back carriers 29.11.11
2Britain's new aircraft carriers will be completed much later, cost much more and offer less military capability than originally planned. That's according to a cross party group of MPs, who are warning the government has failed to grasp the cost implications of changes to the project. Britain's new aircraft carriers were both supposed to be able to launch 36 planes over enemy territory anywhere in the world from next year. Now a single ship and 12 aircraft will be available for six months of the year from 2020. The other will be mothballed, without key equipment ever being fitted. It was all supposed to save 3.4 billion pounds. But today MPs point out that the cash saving is at most 600 million pounds. Today's report also reveals there won't be enough planes for the sole functional carrier to be declared fully operational until 2030. Despite that, HMS Queen Elizabeth is already largely built and should be commissioned in 2016. But there are currently no costed plans to convert her to launch planes.