Arnold Engineering and Development Center in Tennessee has shut down its more than 50-year-old Basic Plant air conditioning facility—one that provided, on the ground, the right pressure, temperature, and humidity to test turbine engines at simulated high speeds and altitudes. The heart of the facility still houses the World War II motors, compressors, and associated hardware retrieved by teams sent to scour Nazi Germany for prized technology and to secure German scientists and engineers for America. Commissioned in 1952, the B-Plant has supported “almost every weapons system we’re flying today,” said retired AEDC engineer Glen Lazalier.
The Department of the Air Force wants to launch a construction boom with its fiscal 2027 budget, more than doubling its request over 2026, according to budget documents.