From the
Sunday Mail:
YARDS TOLD NAVY CUTS WILL NOT SINK DEALS
But a senior defence source said last night: "The carriers are the future of the Royal Navy. Everything revolves around them. The contracts will be signed in the very near future."
Back to the Naval Technology CVF page:
The MASC airborne early warning aircraft will succeed the Sea King ASaC Mk 7 helicopter. The MASC assessment phase was launched in September 2005. In May 2006, three study contracts were awarded for MASC platform and mission systems options. The contracts were awarded to: Lockheed Martin UK to study the potential of using the Merlin with AEW mission systems, AgustaWestland to study maintaining the Sea King ASaC Mk 7 to 2017 and Thales UK to study upgrading the Sea King's mission systems. The studies are to be completed by the end of 2007.
In July 2006, two further study contracts for the enhanced manned rotary-wing solution were awarded to EADS Defence & Security Systems UK and Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems.