French procurement officials are considering whether to use the design of the Royal Navy's two new aircraft carriers as a basis for their planned replacement for the Charles de Gaulle carrier, a sign that a joint programme between the two countries is gaining steam.

Industry executives say British defence officials have presented their designs - now 60 per cent completed and more advanced than the nascent French programme - to the Delegation Generale pour l'Armement, the French procurement agency, which has shown strong interest.