Dowty Propellers Wins $200 Million Air Force C-130J Propeller Spares Contract

GE Aviation Systems LLC’s Dowty Propellers business has received an Air Force requirements contract worth up to $199.7 million to procure and manage R391 propeller assemblies, subsystems and component spares for C-130J aircraft. The award supports Air Force operations and foreign military sales customers in Australia and Egypt. Work will take place in Gloucester, England, and Sterling, Virginia, with completion expected by Sept. 24, 2032. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s C-130 contracting office at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, made the award.

R391 Propeller Assembly and Component Spares Details

Dowty will supply and manage propellers and replacement components needed to keep C-130J aircraft operational. The R391 is the aircraft family’s six-bladed propeller; Dowty is its original equipment manufacturer, according to an Air Force propeller sustainment work statement. The requirements contract allows the Air Force to order assemblies and spares as needs arise rather than purchasing a fixed quantity at award.

The award notice identifies Australia and Egypt as the foreign military sales customers covered alongside the Air Force. It assigns performance to Dowty’s Gloucester and Sterling locations, placing both its U.K. and U.S. operations in the supply effort. The work statement describes the broader R391 sustainment system—including engineering, repairs and inventory management—but the announced scope of this award is procurement and management of propellers, subsystems and component spares.

C-130J Propeller Sustainment Background

The spares award supports an active C-130J fleet. In 2024, the Air Force said it operated more than 300 C-130Js, with additional aircraft being built. Its FY2026 aircraft procurement justification includes spare propellers among C-130J product-support costs. The Air Force has also announced plans to replace eight C-130H aircraft in Wyoming with C-130Js, with the first arrival scheduled for early 2028.

The Air Force has been developing another source of repair capacity for the propeller. In July 2024, it reported the first R391 overhaul at Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex, completed through a public-private partnership involving the complex, the C-130J program office and GE/Dowty. That milestone concerned depot repair capability; the newly announced award covers assemblies and component spares.

Award and Contractor Background

The Air Force made the $199.7 million award through a sole-source acquisition and obligated no funds at award. Dowty’s status as the R391 original equipment manufacturer provides context for the selection. An Air Force contract listing also records a narrower, $491,603 R391 overhaul order dated December 2023, with performance scheduled to end in September 2025.

The Air Force has separately issued a Joint Propeller Sustainment Solution solicitation covering engineering, field and depot support, repairs and supply services for R391 propellers across C-130J variants. Its performance work statement addresses Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and foreign military sales users. That broader solicitation describes a different scope from the assembly-and-spares requirements contract announced here.

This award was disclosed by the DoW in its daily press release. Additional contract details will be available on HigherGov in approximately 90 days under FA850426DB002 after the contract is formally disclosed by the government.