LONDON, April 1, 2008 (AFP) - French electronics firm Thales announced here Tuesday that it had won a multi-million-pound contract to provide submarine support services to Britain's Royal Navy.

The deal, worth an initial 35 million pounds (44 million euros, 69 million dollars), was the result of a partnership between Thales and the Ministry of Defence, Thales UK said in a statement.

The contract provides long-term support for periscopes and optical instruments for the Royal Navy's fleet of nuclear-powered and strategic submarines.