Iowa Army Ammunition Plant

The Iowa Army Ammunition Plant (IAAP), located in Des Moines County in southeastern Iowa, near the city of Burlington, manufactures and delivers large caliber items for the United States Department of Defense using modern production methods in support of worldwide operations. It is operated by American Ordnance, a subsidiary of Day & Zimmermann.

Capabilities

Capabilities of the center include: load, assemble and pack for a full range of munitions and high explosive components; tank ammunition (105 mm; 120 mm); high explosive artillery; medium and large caliber mortars (60 mm; 81 mm; 120 mm); insensitive munitions; smart munitions mines/scatterable mines; missile assembly/missile warheads; rocket assisted projectiles; detonators; development; pressed and cast warheads; and testing.

History

The IAAP was established in November 1940, as the Iowa Ordnance Plant and started production in 1941. Production was stopped in 1945, when World War II ended. In 1947, the US Atomic Energy Commission assumed responsibility. The plant resumed its ammunition manufacturing mission in 1949. In 1950, in response to the Korean War, production increased dramatically. During these years it was known as the Burlington Atomic Energy Commission Plant (BAECP). The Burlington AEC Plant did final assembly on nuclear weapons until 1975, when assembly was consolidated at Pantex.^[1] Both the BAECP facility and Pantex were operated by Mason and Hanger-Silas Company until 2001. In 1975, responsibility for the IAAP reverted to the Army. After 2001, the plant was operated by American Ordnance.

Facilities

IAAP is housed on 19,011 acres (7,693 ha) with 767 buildings, 282 igloos and storage capacity of 1,100,775 square feet (102,265.3 m²). It also has 143 miles (230 km) of roads and 102 miles (164 km) of railroads. The facilities are located within the townships of Union Township, Danville Township, Flint River Township, and the southern part of the small city of Middletown, Iowa, all in Des Moines County. The Iowa Army Ammunition Plant Dam creates a lake on Long Creek, a minor tributary of the Skunk River approximately 10 miles from its mouth at the Mississippi River. The lake is named Mathes Lake after George Mathes, who served as the IAAP Army Chief Engineer for nearly forty years.

BRAC 2005

IAAP had gained the 105 mm and 155 mm artillery and the shoulder-launched multi-purpose assault weapon missile warhead workload from the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant. It also had gained the “family of scatterable mines” and the detonator workload from the Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant. Both of these facilities were closed due to the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission.

Environment

IAAP was placed on the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Priority List (Superfund) in 1990.

Notes

References

•  This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "".

External links

• Official website
• American Ordnance LLC

Coordinates: 40°47′26″N 91°14′41″W / 40.79056°N 91.24472°W / 40.79056; -91.24472