BAe to lose CV Prime Contractor role?

[ORAC]

Not sure if this is brinkmanship or if they are preparing the market. I don't think the MOD is prepared to write them a blank cheque again. The days of cost plus contracts are over, whether they like it or not.

I think the government has done a deal with the French, hence their announcement that their second CV will be conventionally powered, and that Thales will move back into the driving seat and will take over as Prime - with BAe as a sub in the UK and DCN in France.

BAE in row over carrier budget (http://www.money.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml;$sessionid$L2ERZGGQPTXQ5QFIQMFCFFWAVCBQYIV0?xml=/money/2004/02/23/cnbae23.xml&menuId=242&sSheet=/money/2004/02/23/ixfrontcity.html&menuId=242&_requestid=69741) - Telegraph.

BAE Navy project threatened (http://www.thisismoney.com/20040222/nm74648.html) - Mail on Sunday.

[BEagle]

If BWoS loses the 'preferred' contractor lead on the new CVs and Thales take over as Prime, at least the things will probably float! Not certain that the Bungling Baron Waste o' Space could get a ship to float! Let alone 2....

[soddim]

It would appear at last that BWoS have learned not to take the job on at a loss because this government might not continue to pay their cost and delivery overruns.

What a shame that it looks like a French company will show them how to succeed - maybe on time, cost and quality.

[Navaleye]

Lets remember that BAE's design was rejected by the MoD. It was the BMT/Thales design that has gone forward to all the latest wranglings. Its BMT making the design changes. What real value are Bae adding? Not much. BMT/Thales should be anle to this forward. On the political side, both governments don't want to be out done by each other. The French only came in because Britain wanted two CVFs. Now that the French are seemingly going to be a part of this project it will be much more difficult to change or cancel.

[Archimedes]

Although I can't help getting a nagging feeling that we might end up with one CV(F) named Prince of Wales/ Le Dauphin shared between the two navies (as mooted somewhere a few months ago) as a sign of L'Entente Vaguement Cordiale....

[MrBernoulli]

About time!

The days of BWoS treating the MOD as its cash cow, pension and party fund have got to end. I am well aware that some good kit has come out of BWoS in the very distant past but these tossers need a good kick in the wotsits. More humble pie for their staff canteen!