果酱视频

ST. LOUIS 鈥� The Boeing Co.鈥檚 $20 billion contract to build the next generation of fighter planes could bring thousands of jobs to the region and secure the future of the defense industry here.

But it hinges on details that are, so far, unclear. How much of the work will happen in 果酱视频? Will Boeing hire for the project or shift jobs? How much demand will there be for manned aircraft in the future?

Ecstatic public officials in Missouri lauded each other and President Donald Trump late last week after he announced Boeing will build the nation鈥檚 next-generation fighter jet.

Their enthusiasm is warranted, analysts say. The aerospace company鈥檚 future in the 果酱视频 region was uncharted but the new contract, worth $20 billion to start, secures a place for another generation of Boeing workers who will build the F-47.

鈥淭his is the best news that Boeing 果酱视频 has gotten in the current century,鈥� said Loren Thompson, a longtime aerospace analyst.

Boeing鈥檚 more than 16,000 employees in the region are well positioned for the work. They鈥檝e built other fighter jets, including the F-15 and F/A-18, and they鈥檝e been working on government defense contracts for decades.

Experts say the new contract will bring years more work to the region and hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs. And that would be a huge boon to the region, where leaders have been fighting for decades to keep afloat the aerospace industry 鈥� a pillar of the local economy. Officials across the region, from local governments to community college training programs, are already preparing for the impact.

鈥淭his is a generational impact. Their presence here is immense,鈥� said Maggie Kost, who works to attract companies to the region with the business group Greater 果酱视频 Inc. 鈥淚t cements us as a defense hub nationally, and it鈥檚 certainly, beyond just our regional economy, going to have incredible implications for our national security.鈥�

Others are uncertain of the impact the deal will have on the 果酱视频 region.

Boeing won鈥檛 say if it鈥檚 hiring here, bringing employees in from elsewhere, or even shifting workers to the new jobs. One of the president鈥檚 closest advisers has said it鈥檚 time to phase out manned aircraft, such as the F-47. The Air Force has scaled back big fighter jet contracts before. Boeing is still recovering from crises in its business operations. And Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth last month in military budget cuts for 2026.

鈥淭hat creates serious headwinds for the program,鈥� said Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst with Ann Arbor, Michigan-based AeroDynamic Advisory. 鈥淓xisting programs tend to get favored in that kind of budget environment.鈥�

Boeing declined to comment.

Preparing now for jobs

When Boeing lost a contract in 2001 to build the Joint Strike Fighter, it set the tone for the next few decades.

The company lost other government competitions. Even some of the contracts it won didn鈥檛 make it any money, Thompson said. The cost of the company鈥檚 KC-46 tanker program, for instance, ran $7 billion over the contracted price.

There were other problems.

Crashes of the Boeing 737 Max killed hundreds of people and caused deep troubles in its commercial side. Delays in an Air Force One program 鈥� which builds jets for the U.S. president 鈥� have . A capsule Boeing built for NASA had problems with thrusters on its first mission to the international space station. And in September, of its defense, space and security division.

Boeing badly needed to win a significant fighter award, Thompson said.

The company invested heavily in the 果酱视频 region to qualify, said Kost, of Greater 果酱视频. She recalls meeting with Boeing officials in early 2022, when she was still working for the Missouri Department of Economic Development.

鈥淭hey said, 鈥榃e鈥檙e going to need some help and we鈥檙e going after a big contract ... and we need to be ready,鈥欌�� Kost said. 鈥淲e set to work right from that moment to make sure that we could support them.鈥�

Boeing has constructed new buildings, torn down old ones and is still working on its expansion, Kost said. President Trump said in a news conference last week that a lot of the necessary infrastructure has already been built.

鈥淎nd that鈥檚 what Boeing鈥檚 been working on,鈥� Kost said.

The award couldn鈥檛 have come soon enough. In November, the company said it would lay off some 700 people here, and more layoffs were expected. 果酱视频 Community College last year, citing a hiring freeze at the company.

Now, everything looks different. The company has apparently regained trust, the analysts said, with its biggest customer: the U.S. government. And the 果酱视频 officials imagine widespread economic impact from all those expected new aerospace jobs, as suppliers, restaurants, barbers, dry cleaners and others ramp up to serve newcomers.

The community college is ready to restart its training program, too, said the college鈥檚 chief operating officer, Hart Nelson.

The college has been working with Boeing for 18 years, outfitting students with advanced manufacturing skills. In April, it plans to open a new advanced manufacturing center, which will have space for the Boeing training program. Students who graduate from it start at $21 per hour at Boeing 鈥� or about $44,000 a year 鈥� plus a raise after six months, Nelson said.

鈥淲ith this new award, we鈥檙e waiting to hear from Boeing about what their needs are going to be and what kind of changes might need to happen to the program,鈥� Nelson said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l be here when they鈥檙e ready.鈥�

Can Boeing deliver?

Boeing didn鈥檛 respond to questions about how much work on the F-47 will happen in the 果酱视频 area, though experts collectively assume assembly 鈥� putting together the plane itself 鈥� will happen in the region. It just makes sense, given the company鈥檚 investment here, Kost said.

But obstacles remain, including among Trump鈥檚 top staffers.

Hegseth, Trump鈥檚 defense secretary, last month ordered military officials to cut $50 billion from their budgets for fiscal year 2026, said Aboulafia, the aerospace analyst. The money will be redirected to pay for Trump鈥檚 priorities, including a planned 鈥淕olden Dome鈥� missile defense system.

And one of the president鈥檚 closest advisers might not support the F-47. Elon Musk last year that 鈥渕anned fighter jets are obsolete.鈥�

鈥淪o much of what gets funded depends upon presidential whims,鈥� Aboulafia said. 鈥淎s long as Musk is parked directly next to Trump, that creates enormous headwinds.鈥�

The Next Generation Air Dominance program will include unmanned aircraft to fly with the manned fighter, said Thompson, the longtime aerospace analyst. Plus, Trump and Hegseth for the program by personally announcing the award at a news conference last week.

Still, government plans tend to change with political winds, such as when the U.S. Air Force the number of F-22 fighter jets it bought from contractor Lockheed Martin in the early 2000s. Boeing also worked on that program.

And Boeing still has fundamental business problems, said Jim Hall, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board and a frequent Boeing critic. The company needs to show the problems with the 737 Max and delays on Air Force One don鈥檛 repeat themselves 鈥渨hen the security of our nation is at risk,鈥� Hall said.

鈥淭hey鈥檒l have to prove it,鈥� Hall said.

Others believe the results of the award will soon be seen in the 果酱视频 region. Trump said a prototype for the F-47 has been flying for years. A lot of the engineering and design work has already been done, Thompson said. That means production jobs in the region within a few years.

鈥淭he positive effects of winning this program will become apparent quite quickly,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淭hat means jobs and income for 果酱视频.鈥�