Charbel Kadib

The business has been appointed to serve on the Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare (ISREW) Standing Offer Panel.

The prime is competing against rival Lockheed Martin in its bid for the Commonwealth government’s $2.7 billion AIR6500 project. The two have already seen off Boeing and Raytheon, which participated in the first phase of the evaluation process.

It comes after Defence Minister Richard Marles on Friday cast doubt on the deal, arguing the “fuzzy commitment” made by his predecessor Peter Dutton would be subject to a review process.

This comes just over eight months after the former Morrison government sent a letter of request to the United States as part of a provisional assessment process designed to inform a prospective purchase from Sikorsky.

It builds on previous training activities, including the deployment of B-1 Lancer aircraft from Base Darwin and B-2 Spirit Stealth Bombers from Base Amberley.

The new facilities are adjacent to RAAF Base Williamtown and the aerospace precinct Astra Aerolab.