Exclusive: Army kickstarts plans for huge artillery ammo factory in Iowa
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A gun team with the 82nd Airborne Division fires a 155mm howitzer at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Photo: Devyn Adams/DVIDS
The U.S. Army tapped MSM Group North America to design, build and commission a modernized munitions factory in Iowa, a likely four-year process that promises to bolster stockpiles at home and abroad.
Why it matters: The Future Artillery Complex at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant could pump out more than 36,000 shells per month.
- Demand for ordnance, including 155mm, has skyrocketed since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The latest: Jason Gaines, the chief executive at MSM Group North America, told Axios the project team includes construction company Wieland, robotics and fabrication firm IPS Custom Automation, and engineering specialists DetTX.
- "Our principle objective is to expand the depth of the industrial base, particularly ammunition," he said. "The companies we have partnered with are all extremely capable in their respective fields."
The intrigue: MSM Group North America, part of the Czechoslovak Group, was established in December. This contract, pegged at $635 million, is its first. (Other companies were interested, as well.)
- Gaines, though, is no greenhorn. He's the current chairman of the NDIA Industrial Committee of Ammunition Producers and was previously an executive at General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems.
Zoom in: The load, assemble and pack facility will lean on robotics and automation.
- "We're looking to drastically improve — or reduce — the material handling that the operators are doing today, as well as the pouring parameters," Gaines said.
Zoom out: The Army wants to accelerate and expand production of 155mm rounds, with a goal of 100,000 per month. They are fired by the BAE Systems-made M109 Paladin, among other systems.
- "Modernizing the industrial base and replacing critical munition stockpiles are high priorities for the Defense Department," Maj. Gen. John Reim, the joint program executive officer for armaments and ammunition, said in a statement.
- "Projects like the FAC are geared to improve the Army's ability to scale production between surge and downtimes while also providing flexible capacity to produce future go-to-war rounds."
Flashback: The service in late 2023 announced $1.5 billion in contracts to boost global production of artillery rounds.
Go deeper: Jake Sullivan encourages Trump team to buy munitions in bulk
