The French defence firm Thales has said it will create or sustain 10,000 jobs in the UK if it wins the contract to build two new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy.

This ship is going to be 100% designed and constructed here in the UK

Peter Robertson Thales

Thales is fighting BAE Systems for the £3bn ($4.7bn) contract from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

BAE has also said that if it wins the work about 10,000 jobs will be sustained.

The two 950ft long, 60,000 tonne aircraft carriers will be the biggest British warships ever built.

The ships will replace the Royal Navy's three existing carriers, Illustrious, Invincible and Ark Royal.

The MoD is due to announce the winning bid next year.

Shipbuilding to be 'revitalised'

Thales said that if it won the contract, the benefits would spread across the whole of the UK's shipbuilding industry, and that work would not go abroad.

We are very confident that we'll secure the contract

Nigel Stewart BAE Systems

"This ship is going to be 100% designed and constructed here in the UK," said Thales naval managing director Peter Robertson.

The plan is to build the ships in five separate sections at shipyards around the UK, before assembling them at one yard.

The Rosyth shipyard in Scotland is seen as favourite for the final assembly.

"I think we will really leave the shipbuilding industry better than we found it and we will have revitalised shipbuilding in this country for export as well," Mr Robertson said.

Thales is heading a consortium which includes Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Halliburton and Alstom.

BAE's jobs pledge

Earlier on Tuesday, Nigel Stewart, the managing director of BAE's future carrier team told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, that BAE would also seek to get UK shipyards working together if it won the contract.

The Thales ship will be "100%" built in the UK

"At the moment we are very confident that we'll secure the contract," Mr Stewart said.

"We believe we've actually got the best technical solution for the UK's MoD."

And Mr Stewart said the contract would keep thousands in work.

"We believe the carrier contract will sustain in excess of 10,000 jobs in the UK between 2006 and 2015."

BAE Systems' consortium also includes Lockheed Martin, as well as Vosper Thorneycroft, Northrop Grumman and Rolls-Royce.