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DCN: 9242
IOWA ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT
IOWA
LOCATION
Iowa Army Ammunition Plant (IAAAP) is located in southeast Iowa, Des Moines County,
adjacent to Middletown, Iowa. It is surrounded by Lee, Henry, and Louisa counties and is
bordered on the east by the Mississippi River and the state of Illinois. The plant is 8 miles
west of Burlington, Iowa and 86 miles south of HQ, Joint Munitions Command, Rock Island,
Illinois. The installation rests predominately on agricultural farmland with wooded hills
intermixed. The installation is mostly bordered by farmland and State Highway 34, which
runs along the north perimeter. A newly constructed ethanol plant, which processes corn into
a fuel additive, lies directly north of the plant. IAAAP is subject to all four seasons, with an
average annual temperature of 48 degrees Fahrenheit and average annual rainfall of 29
inches.
SIZE
Acres: 19,011.42
Square Footage of Buildings: 4,263,771 SF
Plant Replacement Value: $1,273,041,000
HISTORY
The 19,000-acre site for the formerly named Iowa Ordnance Plant (IOP) was acquired in
November 1940; construction began in January 1941 with Day and Zimmerman Co., Inc.
as the operating contractor. The first item at this government-owned, contractor-operated
facility rolled off the line in September 1941. Production was halted at midnight,
14 August 1945 upon official announcement of the surrender of Japan. The plant
reverted to a government-owned, government-operated facility completing the work in-
process and renovating ammunition in storage. In 1947, the Mason & Hanger-Silas
Mason Co., Inc. of Lexington, Kentucky was selected by the Atomic Energy Commission
to design and build the first production facility at the IOP for the manufacture of high
explosive components for atomic weapons. In 1975, all nuclear weapons related
production was terminated at the plant. At the outbreak of the Korean Conflict, the IOP
was reactivated as a government-owned, contractor-operated facility under the
management of Mason & Hanger-Silas Mason Co., Inc. The IOP remained active under
their management, since 1951. In 1963, the plant was re-designated as the Iowa Army
Ammunition Plant. The workforce has varied from a WWII peak of 13,000 employees to
the present day workforce of approximately 800 employees. Current production
capabilities and orders include the M795, M107 and M927 artillery Projectile, the
Modular Artillery Charge System, 75mm and 105mm Blanks, the entire 120mm family
of tank ammunition, and warheads for the Javelin, Mongoose and Hawk missiles. Demil
operations are a high priority for the IAAAP.
