BERKELEY, Missouri — Boeing is moving forward with its combat aircraft expansion project near its Berkeley complex, though recent comments from military officials have injected new uncertainty into an Air Force program the company is reportedly pursuing.

Steve Nordlund, senior site executive for Boeing St. Louis, said Wednesday the company is making a "tremendous amount" of investment in developing capabilities for fighter jets, satellites and "future products."

Nordlund referred to a new building included in the expansion here as an "advanced combat aircraft" site, expected to be completed in 2026. The new 1.1 million square-foot facility would nearly double its manufacturing footprint here.

Nordlund said Wednesday the expansion marks a "pretty big moment for the St. Louis site."

"Don't underestimate, this is a pretty big bet for the Boeing Company," he said.

The $1.8 billion expansion project at Boeing's north St. Louis County complex is poised to become one of the largest defense projects in the region's history. The county council approved about $155 million in tax breaks for the project in September.

Boeing also opened a specialized lab and testing facility here last year, and plans to open an advanced post-assembly site in the second quarter of 2025.

On Wednesday, as Nordlund showed reporters the view of the expansion sites from the seventh floor of the company's offices in Berkeley, he said he couldn't comment on what other programs the sites might include.

Boeing has said the expansion is intended for "new aerospace programs," suggesting that the project doesn't hinge on any one contract.

The expansion was announced last year as a competition moved forward to build the next generation of fighter jet for the Air Force, known as Next Generation Air Dominance, or NGAD. Last year the Air Force said it planned to award a contract in 2024.

...continued

©2024 STLtoday.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.