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Missouri Governor Mike Parson: Next-Gen Air Force Jet Trainer Must Take Off From Missouri

  • July 17, 2018

“Since McDonnell Aircraft Corp. opened its St. Louis plant in 1939, our state has been on the cutting edge of aviation,” Missouri Governor Mike Parson said in a recent article for the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

“The Show-Me state built the FH-1 Phantom, the Navy’s first all-jet airplane. The F-101 Voodoo, which flew 82 missions over Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis, was built here. We helped build the AV-8B Harrier for the Marine Corps. We continue to build E/A-18 Growlers and F/A-18 Super Hornets, the backbone of the Navy’s strike fighter fleet, and the Advanced F-15 flown by U.S. allies around world who depend on its next-gen capabilities.”

“And, with the Air Force about to award a contract for the service’s new two-seat jet trainer, Missouri should again play a big role building the next major aircraft for our military. But only if the Air Force selects the only truly American-made aircraft in the competition — the Boeing T-X trainer, which calls Boeing’s St. Louis plant home.”

You can read the full article by Governor Mike Parson here.

Missouri has a rich history in aerospace, from Charles Lindbergh, to the Mercury space program, to the latest in aerospace innovation. Today, that cutting edge innovation continues with 100 aerospace manufacturing companies across Missouri, including Boeing, leading the way in every aspect of military aviation.

And its not just military aircraft that are being made in Missouri. Boeing’s Defense, Space & Security division recently completed the manufacture of the company’s first 777X wing edge at its plant in St. Louis, which opened last year, and is Boeing’s first commercial aircraft facility in Missouri.

For more on Missouri’s aerospace and defense manufacturing check out our industry page, or contact Steve Johnson, CEO of Missouri Partnership, at 314.725.2688 or via our contact form, for more information on Missouri.

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