£420m deal to service RAF Chinook choppers signed

A £420 million deal has been signed to service the RAF's Chinook helicopters, securing 450 jobs, the Prime Minister has announced.

During a visit to Portsmouth Naval Base, David Cameron said the news would be an "economic boost" for Portsmouth, which lost more than 900 jobs when BAE Systems ended shipbuilding at the site.

He said the Ministry of Defence had signed the multi-million pound five-year contract with Boeing for the in-service support of the Chinook helicopter.

Mr Cameron also revealed £50m would be spent revamping the infrastructure of the base to accommodate the new Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier when it arrives in 2017.

BAE and Magma Structures have been revealed to be the preferred bidders to occupy the ship hall facilities.