CAE Invertron, the Sussex weapons simulator manufacturer, is hoping to mark the opening of its new £13 million Burgess Hill factory by winning a slice of a £750 million MoD order.

The company is part of the British Team ASTOR consortium, which is competing against two American bids for the Airborne Stand Off Radar (ASTOR) contract.

If the bid, a decision is expected next month, is successful it will create a further 50 high technology jobs at the Burgess Hill site.

CAE's partner in the consortium is Portsmouth-based Lockheed Martin UK.

The partnership was established when the two companies collaborated on the Royal Navy's Merlin helicopter programme.

David Myers, CAE managing director, said the Sussex company was unique among the competition in that it had the capability to develop the training facilities for both the ground and air systems of ASTOR.

Keith Robinson, managing director of Lockheed Martin, said: "CAE and Lockheed Martin share a common belief in partnership.

"Like Merlin, Team ASTOR is a partnership of British companies which will undertake all the work in the UK, in direct contrast to our competitiors."

He said that the consortium must win the contract if Britain was to secure leadership in airborne surveillance radar and keep control over jobs, technology and exports.

"Like the car industry, once it goes offshore, you lose control and can't get it back," he warned.

One other Sussex-based company, Racal in Crawley, is included in the consortium along with Marconi, Marshall Aerospace and Logica.

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