On September 29, 2026, Collins Aerospace — an RTX business — announced a 14,000-square-foot expansion of its West Des Moines, Iowa manufacturing facility. The multi-million-dollar investment is aimed at adding capacity as commercial and military aviation programs pull more fuel-distribution hardware and related spares through the plant.
For precision machine shops and OEM suppliers watching Midwest aerospace capacity, this is a clear Iowa signal: an established engine-components site is expanding floor space, hiring through 2026–2027, and tying the buildout to delivery performance and long-term program growth.
What the West Des Moines plant makes
Collins describes the West Des Moines operation as focused on advanced fuel distribution systems — original equipment components and spare parts — plus maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services. Those products support a wide range of commercial and military platforms.
- The site ships more than 25,000 engine nozzles each month
- It operates as an FAA-certified Part 145 repair station specializing in engine nozzle systems and powerplant accessories
- The operation currently employs approximately 300 full-time employees
In 2023 the company completed a separate $14 million, 9,000-square-foot expansion at its Delavan Drive facility that increased additive manufacturing capacity with metal 3D printers. Collins also notes National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program (NADCAP) certification for additive manufacturing at the site — a marker that next-generation nozzle and fuel-system work remains a core lane there.
Timeline, construction, and hiring
Per the RTX / Collins release:
- Construction on the expanded facility is scheduled to begin later in September 2026
- Completion is expected mid-2027
- Collins plans to add roles by the end of 2026, with continued hiring into 2027 to support long-term program growth
James Bagg, vice president and general manager of Engine Control Systems at Collins Aerospace, framed the investment around delivery performance, manufacturing capability, and jobs tied to rising customer demand across commercial and military aviation.
What small and precision shops should watch
An OEM floor expansion of this type rarely stays inside the four walls of the prime. Upstream and adjacent demand often shows up as:
- Capacity upstream: More nozzle and fuel-distribution throughput can pull fixtures, tooling, precision-machined details, special processes, and sub-tier piece parts — especially when OE and spares volumes move together.
- MRO and spares cadence: An FAA Part 145 nozzle / powerplant-accessories station already shipping at high monthly nozzle rates is a reminder that repair and spare lanes can stay busy even when new-build schedules flex.
- Iowa aero-defense supply-chain signal: West Des Moines adding space and headcount through 2027 is a regional capacity tell for shops already in, or trying to enter, Midwest aerospace and defense machining / fabrication lanes.
- Additive + conventional mix: Prior additive investment plus a conventional capacity add suggests mixed-process work packages — shops that can support either print-adjacent hardware or traditional CNC/build-to-print details should watch RFQ language carefully.
None of that automatically means open RFQs tomorrow. It does mean capacity, hiring, and program-growth language are public at an Iowa engine-components site that already sits on both OE and MRO demand.
Practical watch-list for shops: track Collins / RTX West Des Moines construction and hiring updates through mid-2027; map your real processes to fuel-system, nozzle, and powerplant-accessory commodity families; and keep quality-system and approved-source paperwork current so you can quote when sub-tier packages appear.
Sources: RTX / Collins Aerospace media release, “Collins Aerospace to expand engine components facility to support growth and customer demand” (Sept. 29, 2026; raytheon.mediaroom.com); Avi-Go industry summary of the same announcement.
