 Dara has two bases in Wales, with others in Hampshire and Perthshire |
An American investment bank has been appointed to advise the Government on the possible sale of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency (Dara). Morgan Stanley will gauge market interest in the bases at St Athan, south Wales, and Sealand, north Wales, which employ more than 2,000 workers.
The bank will look into potential buyers and what they might pay.
A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman said the three-month study did not indicate any decision on Dara's future.
An annoucement is not expected before the summer.
Armed forces minister Adam Ingram said in December that there was no "longer a strategic need to retain the organisation" within the MoD.
Dara, which is a civilian arm of the Ministry of Defence, was set up to cut the costs of maintaining and repairing the UK's military aircraft.
Almost 1,600 staff work at Dara's St Athan headquarters. It is alongside the RAF base, which is itself close to Cardiff International Airport. A further 670 staff work at Sealand, Flintshire.
Plans to cut 500 jobs at St Athan were announced in September, with much of the work on Tornado and Harrier aircraft transferred back to the RAF.
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