Military

Air Force Plant 78
Brigham City, UT

Air Force Plant 78 is north of Salt Lake City, UT. Operated by Morton Thiokol, it covers 20,000 acres (8% government owned) and 2.5 million square feet of floor space (22% government owned). The government-owned facility is highly integrated with that of the contractor.

AFP 78 was completed in 1962 on land deeded to the government by the contractor. The facility was designed for the manufacture of Minuteman first stage rocket motors. The combined production of AFP 78 and the adjacent Thiokol plant reached a peak manufacturing rate in 1963. In 1965, because of reduced production requirements, AFP 78 was approved as part of a single-plant concept with the Thiokol R&D plant, which promotes using the best processing facilities from both plants. At the end of the Minuteman project, the USAF attempted to sell the plant to Morton Thiokol, but the two sides could not agree on a price. As of 1986, the facilities supported the MX Peacekeeper, the Trident II and standard missile programs.