Britain: BAE in ship design deal

BRITAIN agreed on an £859 million (R15 billion) contract with BAE Systems on Friday, giving the green light to the British defence company to continue with the next phase of design for a new fleet of warships. BAE Systems has been working on plans to provide Britain with 13 new Type 26 complex warships since 2010. The new contract paves the way for it to continue to develop the project by investing in the equipment and facilities that will be needed before ship-building can start. BAE Systems, which on Thursday was upbeat about future defence spending, said the deal built on its long heritage of delivering complex warships in Britain. The Ministry of Defence said the new contract would sustain 1 700 jobs.. – Reuters