Rolls Royce has won a £47 million contract to provide and operate a new submarine rescue system for Britain, France and Norway.

The main element of the NATO Submarine Rescue System, or NSRS, will be a 32ft, 27 ton submarine operated by a crew of three which can dive to a sunken boat and attach itself to a hatch to rescue those trapped inside the submarine, bringing them to the surface in batches.

Staff based at Clyde Naval Base at Faslane in Scotland will be able to respond with 72 hours to emergency calls from anywhere in the world, according to the Ministry of Defence.

Minister for Defence Procurement Lord Bach said: “This system will give us and our partners the most effective submarine rescue system available.

“Our submarines are painstakingly designed with safety in mind and their safety record is impeccable, but they operate in the harshest of environments and it is vital we have an effective rescue capability.

“This project is a fine example of how working with partner nations can bring great benefits by sharing both costs and expertise.”

Rolls Royce will also supply an unmanned submersible which will locate the sunken submarines, and other support equipment such as decompression chambers and medical facilities.

The contract covers the support and operation of the system for the first ten years of its life.

The new system replaces the current rescue submarine based on the LR5 submersible vessel, which is reaching the end of its life.

LR5 was made available for the rescue operation after the Kursk sank in the Barents Sea in the summer of 2000.

The NSRS will be owned by Britain, France and Norway but operated by a contractor. Although procured by these three nations, it could be made available to help any nation, anywhere in the world.

In an emergency, heavy-lift aircraft would fly the submarine and support equipment to an airport close to the sunken submarine, and the rescue system would be transferred to a suitable military or commercial vessel at a convenient port.

The NSRS will be compatible with almost any NATO and non-NATO submarines, including the new Astute-class boats.

The rescue vehicle itself will be equipped with sonar and video, a heavy-duty cutting arm and large viewing port, and will be able to dive to depths of 600 metres.

It is scheduled to go into service at the end of 2006 and run for up to 25 years.