But Analysts Wonder If UAS Jobs Will Equal F/A-18 Jobs

The Israel Defense Forces recently reported that they are now flying more hours with unmanned aircraft than with manned craft. The US military may not be far behind. What does this trend mean for Boeing in general, and for the company's St. Louis workforce in particular? So far, says Boeing, its future in the city remains solid.

The news website STLtoday.com notes that manned military fighters are one of the city's iconic products, dating back to the World War I era, before McDonnell Douglas was acquired by Boeing. Some military observers say that the last US fighter pilot has been born, and that within a couple of decades all military aircraft will be unmanned.

Boeing's F/A-18 fighter is used worldwide today, but UAVs are smaller cheaper, and don't put human pilots in harm's way. Boeing is locked in competition with other traditional defense contractors, but also many smaller companies developing unmanned technology for military missions. So far, Boeing holds just two percent of the military drone market by dollar volume. The company is trying to catch up with recent acquisitions of smaller development firms, including Insitu, which started development of the ScanEagle drone (pictured above) which now wears a Boeing badge.

Michael Blades, an analyst with Frost & Sullivan, an analysis firm based in Texas, says that even if Boeing eventually replaces F/A-18 production in St. Louis with a plant which builds UAVs, "there won't be a lot of them. Those things can stay in the air for ten days. How many would you need?"

FMI: www.boeing.com