A US Marine charged with rape while on rotation in the Top End has had his plans to return home to await trial put on ice after being placed on bail in the Darwin Local Court on Friday.

The court heard the 24-year-old — who cannot be named before being committed to stand trial — had been issued with a notice to appear after the charge was laid on May 1.

But prosecutor Rhiannon McGlinn said her office had requested the case be relisted a day before his Marine Corps contract was due to lapse to ask that he be placed on bail instead.

In granting bail, Mr Neill ordered the man to live at the Defence Establishment Berrimah and not travel more than 100km from Darwin while surrendering his travel documents and steering clear of the airport.

Northern Australia’s national security has received a significant boost with the completion of upgrades to Nackeroo Airstrip at Bradshaw Field training area south of Darwin.

Part of the Commonwealth’s $747m NT Training Areas and Ranges Project, the Nackeroo Airstrip works included sealing the infrastructure to increase its capacity to take heavy aircraft.

Defence said the enhancements would allow military designated aircraft like the C-17A Globemaster and MV-22 Osprey to land at Bradshaw for the first time.

Territory company Sitzler has the contract for the ranges project upgrades, supported by a number of Territory contractors including RPS Group.

“The upgrade significantly enhances the ability to undertake air, land and littoral operations from here which will lead to increased training outcomes and collective training with the United States, ADF and other partner countries.

A US Navy ship has docked in Darwin, with hundreds of sailors expected to explore the Top End during the routine stopover aimed at enhancing relations between the two allies.

Complete with a barbershop, retro diner, post office, corner store, dentist, and emergency operating theatre, USS Emory S. Land serves as a floating city wherever she is deployed.

“Our mission is to repair, rearm, and resupply deployed submarines and surface ships, both of US and our partner navies,” Captain Brent Spillner said.

“Two thirds of our crew works in the repair department, so maintenance specialists such as welders, electricians, and we’ve also got a very capable weapons department – we’ve got the ability to reload torpedoes, mines, missiles.

“We are self contained, we could go into a very austere, remote port and still provide the same services a ship would have if it were in a major port.”

“Darwin basically marks the midway point for our current secondment. This represents a massive milestone for us in terms of an opportunity to demonstrate all the skills we have, and really be able to contribute to the operation of the ship.”

An American warship is pulling into Darwin with a view to enhance US– Australian relations, with crewmen expected to roam the city in the coming days.

It was also confirmed members of the Royal Australian Navy were on-board the Emory S. Land to develop their knowledge, skills and experience in how their American counterparts conducted nuclear-powered submarine maintenance.

The arrangement to offer submarine-related training to ADF personnel follows Australia’s commitment to bringing into service multiple nuclear-powered Virginia class submarines, expected to patrol Australian waters as early as the 2030s.

The arrival of Emory S. Land coincides with the ramped up military activity currently underway across the Top End, with ADF and Marine Rotation Force – Darwin, integrating at Mount Bundey Training Area.

The lawsuit, filed by the families of Sax, Carlson, Strickland and Rasmuson, accuses Boeing, Bell Textron, Rolls Royce Corps and Rolls Royce North America of negligence, negligent and fraudulent misrepresentation, and the failure to warn.

Tim Loranger, the lawyer representing the families in the lawsuit, told CNN on Thursday that ultimately the lawsuit alleges that the aircraft the Marines were on was known to have a defect but “insufficient steps have been taken to correct it.”

The lawsuit comes months after another deadly V-22 Osprey crash off the coast of Japan, which resulted in the deaths of eight US Special Operations airmen. The US military grounded its entire fleet of V-22 Ospreys in December as a result. That grounding guidance was lifted in March this year; officials said at the time an investigation identified a “materiel failure” responsible for the crash.

Col. Brian Taylor, the program manager of the Naval Air Systems Command V-22 joint program office, told reporters in March that the crash resulted from an “unprecedented” component failure, though he declined to say what component specifically failed or how.