The decision comes amidst the ongoing strike by the company’s defense technicians, who have built the Super Hornet for years. The Air Dominance division in St. Louis is expected to transition to producing more F-15EX Eagle IIs, T-7A Red Hawks, MQ-25 Stingray drones, and the forthcoming F-47. A very large number of jobs in the St. Louis area rely on the money spent by Boeing, which largely comes from taxpayer-funded government contracts. Boeing directly employs nearly 16,000 people and indirectly supports at least 34,000 jobs across the St. Louis area. The industrial colossus spends over $750 million distributed between 350 local suppliers, according to Greater St. Louis Inc.