ROLLS-ROYCE has scooped a £96million contract to provide engines for the largest ships to be built for the Royal Navy.

More than a third of the work to supply four MT30 gas turbines for the two new 65,000-tonne aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, will be done by staff at Rolls' naval division in Patchway, which has 270 staff.

The remainder of the work to provide power for the ships will be at Rolls-Royce's sites in Portsmouth, Dunfermline and Sweden.

Rolls-Royce, which has 3,600 staff at Patchway, is one of a number of suppliers given the job of building the carriers' power and propulsion system by the Ministry of Defence's main contractor, Thales UK.

Rolls-Royce is supplying the MT30 gas turbine, the most powerful available in the marine market, and Filton's share of the contract represents about £36 million.

The MT30 gas turbines will be assembled and tested in Bristol and delivered in 2011-2013, with the ships due to enter service in 2014 and 2016.

Rolls-Royce is also discussing a contract for maintenance of the turbines.

The president of Rolls-Royce's marine division, John Paterson, said: "The contract is recognition of our ability to supply a wide range of power and propulsion equipment as part of a fully-integrated system. The contract is the third major naval programme to be powered by the MT30, as the engine has already been selected for the Lockheed Martin version of the Littoral Combat Ship and DDG-1000 destroyer, both for the US Navy."

The Rolls deal is part of a contract worth £235 million for gas turbines, generators, motors, power distribution equipment, platform management systems, propellers, shafts, steering gear, rudders and stabilisers.

MoD defence equipment and support director general for ships, Rear Admiral Bob Love, said: "The new carriers represent a series of firsts for the fleet and this latest propulsion technology has not yet been seen in the Royal Navy on this scale."

Each carrier will be of a similar size and weight to the QE2.

On October 17, the Princess Royal will officially open the £75 million redevelopment of the Rolls site at Patchway.