Farnborough, England – Dowty Propellers has signed a letter of intent to develop and supply the propeller electronic controller (PEC) on twin-engine MA700 regional aircraft from Xi’An Aircraft Company (XAC), a subsidiary of China’s AVIC.

This agreement, announced today at the Farnborough Airshow, follows the earlier selection of Dowty Propellers to provide a six-blade propeller system for the MA700’s two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150C turboprop powerplants.

The PEC manages the propeller system’s automatic control, including propeller speed and pitch, through all phases of flight. For the MA700, Dowty Propellers’ solution is a dual-band PEC, based on a flexible, modern design which incorporates the latest technology and utilises an open architecture.

To develop the MA700’s PEC, Dowty Propellers will be collaborating with GE Aviation’s Systems business – a portfolio of companies and operations that includes Dowty Propellers.

About Dowty Propellers

As a leader in the development, manufacture and support of electronically controlled, all-composite propeller systems, Dowty Propellers provides solutions for the propulsion needs of today and tomorrow. Its products are used in applications that range from commercial airliners and military airlifters to multi-role seaplanes and marine hovercraft.

With a proven record of product development, introduction and support, Dowty Propellers continually invests in technologies, production capabilities and human resources – resulting in propeller systems that are safe, efficient and reliable. Its history of firsts-to-market includes the all-composite propeller blade and full-authority digital propeller control. More than 23,000 advanced composite blades have been delivered to date by Dowty Propellers, with the lead blade logging over 45,000 hours of flight time.