PARIC Awarded Contract to Build the New Boeing Manufacturing Facility in Illinois

PARIC Corporation has been awarded the contract to build the new Boeing manufacturing plant in Mascoutah, IL. The facility will produce the Navy's newest carrier-based aircraft, bringing the benefits of digital aircraft design and production to the Navy.

The new 300,000 square-foot facility at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, scheduled for completion in 2024, initially will employ approximately 150 mechanics, engineers, and support staff who will build the MQ-25^TM Stingray^TM, the Navy's first operational, carrier-based unmanned aircraft. Employment could reach up to 300 with additional orders.

Boeing digitally engineered the entire MQ-25 aircraft and its systems, resulting in high-fidelity models that are used to drive quality, efficiency, and flexibility throughout the production and sustainment process. The new MQ-25 facility will include state-of-the-art manufacturing processes and tools, including robotic automation and advanced assembly techniques, to improve product quality and employee ergonomics.

"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 Kristin Robertson, vice president, and general manager of Autonomous Systems, Boeing Defense, Space & Security. "We've received great support from MidAmerica Airport and countless dedicated employees, and we're excited to build the Navy's first operational, carrier-based unmanned aircraft right here in the Metro East."

For two years, Boeing and the Navy have been flight testing the Boeing-owned MQ-25 test asset from MidAmerica Airport, where in recent history-making missions T1 has refueled an F/A-18 Super Hornet, an E-2D Hawkeye and an F-35C Lightning II.