The contracts were split into phases; the first £5.9 million phase was for design assessment which would form part of the aircraft selection, while the second £23.5 million phase involved "risk reduction on the preferred carrier design option.
The contracts were split into phases; The first £5.9 million phase was for design assessment which would form part of the aircraft selection, the second £23.5 million phase involved «risk reduction on the preferred carrier design option.»In the course of the design period, several different configurations were considered and submissions included large and small air groups based around three types of vessel.