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Des Moines Chosen for New Unmanned Fighter Jet Facility
The 420,000-square-foot plant is expected to bring more than $300 million in investment and hundreds of jobs, officials said.
On Wednesday, September 30, San Diego-based Shield AI signed a lease at Des Moines Creek 2 light industrial park to manufacture its X-BAT autonomous fighter jet.
Backed by a $50 million Navy development contract, the 420,000 square-foot facility owned by the Port of Seattle is expected to bring more than $300 million in direct investment to Des Moines.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson and Congressman Adam Smith, D-Bellevue, praised the project as strengthening the region's aerospace sector and creating high-quality jobs.
Des Moines City Councilmember Pierre Blosse expressed unease on Thursday regarding "increasing use of artificial intelligence in autonomous weapons systems" and the delegation of lethal force decisions to AI.
Production is scheduled to begin in 2029, with flight testing at Newton City-County Airport in Kansas, while Shield AI pursues a five-year partnership with Polish defense companies PGZ and WZL-2.