The Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant (NWIRP) located in Dallas, Texas is an aerospace manufacturing complex that was constructed in 1941 as part of the U.S. World War II Industrial Mobilization Program. Aerospace companies designing and building military and commercial aircraft and other military weapon systems have occupied the site since its construction. NWIRP Dallas provided the backdrop for a wide range of aerospace-related technology development projects, innovative aircraft designs, and the manufacture of numerous aircraft that set new standards in the industry while meeting the war fighting needs of the U.S. military.

Originally known as Plancor No. 25, NWIRP Dallas initially consisted of 85 buildings and structures spread out over 153 acres in rural Dallas County, near the city limits of both Dallas and Grand Prairie, Texas. North American Aviation Inc. leased the government-owned plant from 1941 to 1945, producing nearly 30,000 aircraft of three different types for the Army, Air Force, and Navy. Following the war, the Department of the Navy gained stewardship of the manufacturing complex and leased it to Chance Vought Aircraft, which manufactured some of the Cold War's most prolific weapons. Chance Vought Aircraft relocated to the facility in 1948 from its original location in Stratford, Connecticut. At the time, the move of Vought to the Dallas facility was the largest single industrial relocation ever undertaken in the U.S.

NWIRP Dallas has also been leased to six other different tenants over the past six decades, including: Ling TEMCO-Vought (LTV), Northrop Grumman, and Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc. Today, the complex consists of 343 resources on 314.66 acres. NWIRP Dallas has significance throughout the Cold War. Its history is not only the story of an aircraft plant but also of the growth of Dallas County and the aircraft industry in North Texas communities.

Because of its role in meeting the needs of our military over the past 60 years, the U.S. Navy’s Historic Preservation Office, Cultural Resources Branch, has documented the history of NWIRP Dallas. This website is dedicated to the preservation of the history of NWIRP Dallas. It is intended that this website offer this rich history to all citizens and students with an interest in learning more about this site and its buildings.

This web site presents detailed information on these significant properties and will be an invaluable resource for historians, researchers and others interested in the development of the plant and its contribution to local history. The documentation includes photographs, reproductions of original drawings, architectural descriptions, and historical information for each building.