A Missouri senator visited St. Louis Monday to celebrate the city’s new role in manufacturing the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, delivered remarks at a Boeing manufacturing site to highlight the region’s historic and future contributions to national defense.
Schmitt worked closely with President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to support the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program.
The $20 billion contract award to Boeing brings the F-47 program to Missouri and officially replaces the F-22A Raptor. The new jet boasts a range of more than 1,000 nautical miles. It will also integrate unmanned drones during combat.
“For 87 years, McDonnell Douglas, now Boeing, has played an instrumental role in telling the story of what American air dominance has meant for our great country,” Schmitt said. “And now, what we see with the F-47 will be an unparalleled aircraft in the history of the world. This will be the most advanced fighter jet ever made in human history, and it’ll be made by the men and women who live here in St. Louis.”
The NGAD program wasn’t always a sure thing. The Biden administration considered putting the project on the chopping block a few years ago.
“We fought back,” Schmitt said. “We made sure that that was not the prevailing thought, and when the new administration came in, I very directly spoke with not just the President of the United States, the Secretary of War, to make sure that not only that we had a next generation fighter, but that fighter would be built right here in St. Louis.”
Schmitt expressed gratitude to the generations of aerospace workers in Bridgeton and the greater St. Louis area. He said their dedication ensures the U.S. won’t lose its edge on the global stage against adversaries such as Communist China.
“We want an unfair fight. Those are the conditions that we want to have to prevent a conflict from ever happening, but heaven forbid a conflict ever does happen, that this is an unfair fight,” Schmitt said. “This means not just the deterrence that we’re going to have on display for our country, but for this community. Again, this is a tough, gritty community that has been engaged in this kind of work for a long time.”
Boeing St. Louis employs about 18,000 workers, with production of the new F-47 already underway. Its first flight is planned for 2028.
