French and British Contractors Announce Progress in PA2

, PARIS: A step has just been achieved in the co-operation between the French PA2 aircraft carrier programme and the British CVF programme. 
 
French and British contractors involved in these programmes — DCNS and Aker Yards for France, BAE Systems, VT Shipbuilding, Thales Naval and Babcock Support Services for the United Kingdom — have confirmed their desire to co-operate by signing a co-operation agreement. 
 
This agreement is the result of the collaboration, to the benefit of these programmes, undertaken since early 2005. 
 
The agreement lays down the general provisions for co-operation for the Development and Manufacture and In-service support of the PA2 and CVF vessels. This agreement on the French and British carrier projects represents a new milestone between French and British naval shipbuilders.  
 
The DCNS group is one of Europe’s leading players on the world market for naval defence systems. To meet customer demands for more comprehensive and integrated systems, DCNS acts as prime contractor for naval shipbuilding, integration and support by combining its own development, marketing and production capabilities with those of selected partners. The DCNS group employs some 13,300 people and generates annual revenues of around EUR 3 billion. 
 
Aker Yards ASA is an international shipbuilding group focusing on sophisticated vessels. The group has a strong position both in terms of innovation, product range, technology, experience and capacity. The product range includes cruise vessels & ferries, merchant vessels, offshore & specialized vessels. Aker Yards comprises 18 yards in Brazil, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Romania, Ukraine and Vietnam. Aker Yards has approximately 21,000 employees.