Boeing to build factory in Illinois to produce MQ-25 Stingray

Boeing has announced plans to build the Navy’s newest carrier-based aircraft at a new, high-tech facility in Illinois. The 300,000-sq.-ft. facility at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, scheduled for completion in 2024, initially will employ about 150 mechanics, engineers, and support staff who will build the MQ-25 Stingray, the Navy’s first operational, carrier-based unmanned aircraft. Employment could reach up to 300 with additional orders.

The facility will include state-of-the-art manufacturing processes and tools, such as robotic automation and advanced assembly techniques. The U.S. Navy intends to procure more than 70 MQ-25 aircraft to help extend the range of the carrier air wing, and most of those will be built in the new plant.