To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated (a) cost and (b) in-service date is of the (i) Astute class submarine, (ii) Type-45 Destroyer and (iii) Nimrod MRA4. (210661)

The estimated costs for the current Astute contract are £3,798 million; for the current Type-45 contract £6,464 million; and for Nimrod MRA4 £3,500 million. The first of the Astute class, ASTUTE, has an in-service date of 2009, with AMBUSH following in 2010, and ARTFUL in 2012. The estimated in-service date for Type-45 is November 2010, and for Nimrod MRA4 is 2010.