Boeing to build Navy aircraft at MidAmerica, invest $200M

By JOHN O’CONNOR
AP Political Writer

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Chicago-based aerospace giant Boeing Co. will invest $200 million to manufacture the U.S. Navy’s latest unmanned aircraft at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport. A news release provided to The Associated Press in advance indicates that state and company officials plan a Friday afternoon announcement at the airfield in Mascoutah, southeast of St. Louis. Boeing plans to manufacture the MQ-25 Stingray, the Navy’s first carrier-based unmanned aircraft. It will come out of a state-of-the art, 300,000-square-foot facility. Construction is scheduled to start later this year and be completed by 2024. The operation will have about 150 employees.