Boeing Announces Navy Drone Production Plant on Illinois Side of the St. Louis Area

Across the Mississippi River from St. Louis’ Lambert Airfield is Illinois’s attempt to draw airline traffic.

Tens of millions of state money has been poured into what is called MidAmerica St. Louis Airport.

The goal was to increase economic activity on the east side of the river

A big step toward that goal has been announced by Boeing.

Here is The Center Square article on the development:

Boeing to build Navy planes in Illinois

(The Center Square) – A new high-tech Navy plane will be built in Illinois.

Boeing has announced it will build the MQ-250 Stingray unmanned aerial refueler at a nearly 300,000 square foot facility at the MidAmerica Airport in Mascoutah. It is the Navy’s first carrier-based unmanned aircraft.

Construction of the facility is expected to begin later this year and be completed by 2024. As part of its agreement with the state, Boeing has committed to an initial investment of at least $200 million over 15 years.

“Right here, MidAmerica Airport, it is a cornfield now, but it is going to be a field of dreams when it comes to aviation and protecting America,” said Senator Dick Durbin at Friday’s announcement.

For two years, Boeing and the Navy have been flight testing the MQ-25 test asset from MidAmerica Airport, where in recent missions it has refueled a F/A-18 Super Hornet and an F35C Lightning II.

The new production center is expected to create 150 initial jobs, including mechanics, engineers and support staff, but officials say employment could reach up to 300 with additional orders.

“The team and state-of-the-art technology we’re bringing to the Navy’s MQ-25 program is unprecedented, and we’re incredibly proud to be expanding both as we build the future of autonomous systems in Illinois,” said Kristen Robertson, general manager of Autonomous Systems at Boeing Defense, Space and Security.

The Navy intends to procure more than 70 Stingray aircraft and a majority of those will be built at the new facility.

The new MQ-25 facility will be in addition to existing manufacturing operations at Boeing St. Clair, which produces components for the CH-47 Chinook, F/A-18 Super Hornet, and other defense projects.


Comments

Boeing Announces Navy Drone Production Plant on Illinois Side of the St. Louis Area — 7 Comments

  1. I’m sure Lord Jumbo Boy and his degenerate DEMOCRAT brethren are busy
    scheming of ways to tax each and every drone produced at that plant.

    Perhaps a special license plate will be required before they will be allowed to leave the assembly plant or
    a must pass air pollution certification.

    I wouldn’t put anything past that fat greedy bastard.

  2. Another bullshit pork barrel unneeded airport.

    Think Peotone Il.

    This turd got built

    MidAmerica St. Louis Airport was created to alleviate crowding at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, but had been criticized as a pork barrel project.[5]

    Featured several times as a “Fleecing of America” segment on the NBC Nightly News, it was called a “Gateway to Nowhere” by Tom Brokaw, costing taxpayers $313 million.[6]

    Supporters credit MidAmerica’s additional runway with saving Scott AFB from closure during BRAC 2005.

    They also describe MidAmerica as a “Gateway to the World”, citing a new cargo terminal and customs facility designed to attract international cargo.[7]

    Congestion at Lambert Airport has not been a problem since American Airlines reduced hub operations by fifty percent in 2003 and a new billion-dollar runway opened in 2006.[8][9]

  3. Boeing set up production there because of the first class, well trained workforce available in nearby East St Louis.

  4. Obviously Billy Bob, you haven’t been down to east s/l lately.

    Must be commuters working there

  5. Carrier based? Those floating coffins that have to be kept far from active battle zones?

    Hallo, it’s 2021, not 1921.

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