LONDON, the UK (BulgarianMilitary.com) – The defence company Babcock received a HMS Queen Elizabeth maintenance contract. That was announced by the UK Ministry of Defence on 9th January 2019, learned BulgarianMilitary.com

Under the £5 million contract, Babcock’s Rosyth dockyard will execute the first planned dry-dock maintenance of the largest UK warship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, where the 65,000-tonne carrier will undergo a routine, planned hull survey and maintenance of her underwater systems over a six-week period. The dry-docking period will mark the cutting-edge carrier’s return to the shipyard where she was built.

Director Ships Support at Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), Russell Brown, explained, “The teams at Defence Equipment and Support are committed to bringing the national flagships into operational service and this dry docking is a crucial step on that journey. This significant national enterprise is built upon the excellent relationships across defence and the unparalleled skills within UK industry.”

The works will be carried out this summer and during their peak they will provide 100 jobs.

Read more: U.K. Royal Navy Successfully Landed the First F-35B on Queen Elizabeth-class Aircraft Carrier

The Defence Minister Stuart Andrew commented, “After a phenomenal year of trials off the East Coast of the US, this dry-docking contract is an important step for HMS Queen Elizabeth as she gears up for operations. The largest ship in our Royal Navy’s history, which was assembled in Rosyth, will now return for this multi-million-pound routine maintenance work as she gets set to represent Britain across the world for decades to come.”

HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, which is passing through the final stages of her construction at the Rosyth yard, are the largest ships ever built for the Royal Navy.

Recently it also became clear that both ships will receive essential mission system support by BAE Systems as part of an updated integration services agreement.

Read more: The UK HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales Will Be Supported by BAE Systems

HMS Prince of Wales was powered up for the first time in November 2018 and is expected to be handed over to the Royal Navy this year.

This year will also see the resumed HMS Queen Elizabeth aviation trials with British-owned F-35s. It is expected next year the vessel to enter operational service before her first deployment in 2021.

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Source: Ministry of Defence and Stuart Andrew MP