WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Boeing Co and Lockheed Martin Corp said they will continue their protest against the Air Force’s selection of Northrop Grumman Corp to build a new long-range strike bomber, calling that process “irreparably flawed”.

The companies issued a joint statement on Friday saying that they had filed a 133-page brief with the U.S. Government Accountability Office in response to the air force’s filing in the protest, which was first submitted last month.

“The Boeing and Lockheed Martin team believe that the Air Force’s selection process was irreparably flawed and therefore have decided to continue with their protest before the GAO,” Boeing said in a statement. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal)