The Boeing Co. will expand the manufacturing operations of its Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) subsidiary near Saint Louis, with a new plant to open later this year or early in 2011. The operation will be situated in an existing building at the MidAmerica Airport in Mascoutah, Ill. There, BDS will handle assembly and subassembly work on component parts for fighter jets and military transport aircraft.
The airport has been largely vacant since it lost passenger service two years ago.
The cost of the project is not known. Illinois is granting $2.3 million to Boeing to cover project, more than $2 million of that in tax credits staged over 10 years. Boeing and St. Clair County, Illinois, will enter a long-term lease for the existing 50,000-square-foot facility, which the company’s manufacturing plant in the state.
St. Louis is the headquarters for BDS, which is Missouri’s largest manufacturer and second-largest employer. The St. Louis site has approximately 16,000 employees manufacturing F/A-18 and F-15 fighter jets, C-17 transport planes, and weapons.
"This facility's proximity to BDS headquarters, the presence of an established, skilled work force, and the infrastructure at MidAmerica Airport make it an ideal choice as Boeing looks for opportunities to expand our core business and ensure our St. Louis site remains competitive as we meet the high-value, low-cost needs of our customers," stated BDS president and CEO Dennis Muilenburg.
