Parker Aerospace and AVIC have signed agreements with the municipal governments of Nanjing and Xian to set up two facilities in China to support the country's indigenous Comac C919 narrowbody programme.

This follows an announcement in June that Parker and AVIC have sealed a deal to set up two joint venture companies to support the development of systems for the C919.

In the first joint venture, Parker and AVIC Jincheng Corp will work together on the fuel, inerting and hydraulic systems for the C919. The company will be located in Nanjing and have a manufacturing facility.

"A significant portion of the systems' component assembly, test and manufacture will take place at the new facilities, as well as systems integration test functions," says Parker.

In the second collaboration, Parker will work with AVIC's Flight Automated Control Research Institute to provide in-country support of the joint development of the flight control actuation systems on the C919. This joint venture will be located in Xian, and include a customer service repair centre.

Financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed.

Parker was selected in 2010 to supply the fly-by-wire flight control actuation, fuel, inerting and hydraulic systems for the narrowbody. It also provides the fuel, hydraulic and actuation systems on the ARJ21 regional jet.

The C919, which has so far garnered 380 commitments mostly from China, is set to have its first flight in 2015.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news