Aircraft carrier alert system ready early

An early warning detection system known as Crowsnest for Britain's new aircraft carriers will be ready when the ships come into service rather than some time in 2020, the Defence Secretary has said.

Philip Hammond told MPs the system had been brought forward after management of the equipment budget freed up the money.

Earlier announcements by the Ministry of Defence indicated the system, based on the Merlin helicopter and designed to provide state of the art surveillance around the carriers, would only go into trials in 2020.

Read more