U.S. Heavy Manufacturing Takes Flight in 2026's First Quarter

Written by Will Ploch, Assistant Editor-in-Chief for IIR News (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

The domestic heavy-manufacturing sector is gearing up to meet demand from a string of high-profile customers, from the U.S. Department of Defense to data-center suppliers.

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U.S. Military Fuels Big-Ticket Expansions

The armed forces and data-center developers are among the top customers for the heavy-manufacturing corner of the U.S. Industrial Manufacturing Industry. Industrial Info is tracking about $3.4 billion worth of heavy-manufacturing projects across the U.S. that are slated to begin construction in the first quarter of 2026, with aircraft and electrical components among the sectors seeing the strongest investments.

Bell Textron Incorporated (Fort Worth, Texas) is developing the single highest-valued heavy-manufacturing project with a strong likelihood of kicking off before April, according to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Database: a multi-year renovation of its aircraft components plant in Fort Worth, which will include the construction of an entirely new building. Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Industrial Manufacturing Project and Plant databases can learn more about this development--including capacities, investment values and necessary equipment--from a detailed project report and plant profile.

Lisa Atherton, the chief executive officer of Bell Textron, announced late in 2024 that the new facility will manufacture components for the U.S. Army's Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA): "Bell is committed to establishing future manufacturing locations to deliver the first fielded aircraft by the early 2030s and do our part to revolutionize U.S. Army aviation."

Another major aircraft developer for the U.S. military, Lockheed Martin Corporation (Bethesda, Maryland), is preparing for a major expansion of its aircraft plant in Owego, New York. Last year, the company secured $400 million in federal funding through the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act to bolster production of the U.S. Navy's MH-60R helicopter, which incorporates advanced semiconductor technology. The plant also won an $18.8 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense earlier this year to further develop a sensory component for the MH-60R. Subscribers can learn more from a detailed project report and plant profile.

The new sensory component is a small, removable device that better detects large, metallic objects in the water. "With recent upgrades to mission computer software, this non-acoustic digital sensor can easily be installed into any operational MH-60R aircraft, and can operate independently or collaboratively with other mission systems, such as the aircraft's sonobuoys or long-range active dipping sonar," one Lockheed official said in a press release.

By the Numbers

• $3.4 billion: Estimated value of heavy-manufacturing projects across the U.S. that could kick off in first-quarter 2026
• $418.8 million: Defense-related contract wins since mid-2024 for Lockheed Martin's Owego plant

Data Centers Need to Cool Off

The rapid growth in data-center development across the U.S. is proving a boon for manufacturers of components used in industrial-scale electronic systems. At least two projects from Modine Manufacturing Company (Racine, Wisconsin) are focused on the development of cooling equipment for data centers: a series of equipment additions at its plant in Grenada, Mississippi, and a renovation of its plant in Grand Prairie, Texas. Both are expected to be completed within the year.

"Where we're seeing a lot of the growth--and where we're seeing a lot of the demand with our closest customers--is with the deployment of AI," said Neil Brinker, the chief executive officer of Modine, in a recent earnings call. "So, it's going to require a great chiller product, which we have. It's going to require the air-cooling products that we have to help augment it, and CDUs [cooling distribution units] as well."

Subscribers can read detailed project reports on the Grenada additions and Grand Prairie renovation, and read profiles of the Grenada plant and Grand Prairie plant.

Other developers of electronic equipment within the U.S. Industrial Manufacturing Industry include General Electric (Boston, Massachusetts) and Electrolux AB (Stockholm, Sweden), which are retrofitting and expanding capacities at some of their U.S. production facilities for home appliances. Subscribers can click here for a full list of reports for heavy-manufacturing projects across the U.S. that are slated to begin construction in the first quarter of 2026.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project and Plant databases can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.

Key Takeaways

• Bell Textron and Lockheed Martin are among the companies recently inking contracts to develop aircraft for the U.S. military.
• AI is driving the need for more cooling equipment at data centers.
• Other manufacturers are boosting their production of home appliances.

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About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).