PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. - The history of armaments engineering and manufacturing on the grounds that are now Picatinny Arsenal reach back to the very origins of the United States of America, when the land near the foot of Picatinny Peak was established as an iron forge.
When the American Revolution erupted, the forge was under the operation of Iron Master John Jacob Faesch. The iron works provided cannon shot, iron bar, shovels, axes, and other iron implements for the Revolutionary Army.
After the Civil War, the Federal Government wanted a Powder Depot on the Atlantic coast to mitigate the risk of inadequate ammunition supply. A board of Ordnance officers headed by the Arsenal's first commander, Maj. Francis H. Parker, selected this site.
The Middle Forge Tract created the core of the installation, and was officially established on Sept. 6, 1880. The name Picatinny was selected from the Lenape word describing “rugged cliff by the water,” overlooking the Middle Forge. The Army built Magazine #1 and Magazine #2, to store 50,000 barrels of powder each. Magazine #2 survives today as Picatinny Arsenal’s Headquarters and home of the Joint Program Executive Office for Armaments and Ammunition.
An explosive loading facility was constructed in 1903 and Powder Factory in 1907. With the expanded mission, the land became Picatinny Arsenal.
During the First World War, Picatinny manufactured 30 caliber to 16” powder. Picatinny was designated the center for investigating all ammunition related problems and research and development.
The onset of WWII saw the workforce increased to a high of 17,936 by mid-1942.
Picatinny Arsenal was conferred the first of four Army-Navy E-Awards for excellence on Sept. 30, 1942. The Arsenal loaded 100 – 425 items per month and 80 – 125 different items per day.
Research and Development efforts included fuzes for defeating concrete fortifications and skip bombing. Picatinny also designed, developed, and produced a self-destruct mechanism for an air-to-air radar for night operations.
Picatinny developed an improved bazooka rocket between WWII and the Korean War, that could defeat armor twice as thick as its predecessor. Picatinny also worked on rockets and missiles through the Cold War. Picatinny continued its tradition of innovation in artillery munitions when Bob Schwartz designed the atomic artillery shell, tested at Frenchman Flat Nevada May 1953. Picatinny had an active atomic artillery R&D program until the late 1980’s when the advent of precision munitions shifted defense strategy.
The manufacturing mission on site ended in 1977, but the expertise in production engineering and research and development still resides at Picatinny Arsenal. Extended Range and precision munitions evolve under Picatinny’s watch, ensuring the United States military is an effective and lethal fighting force. Product Management and Production Management stretches back over a century.
Operations on this geographic location have provided expertise in the design and production of ammunition in preparation for and during every major military operation spanning the majority of the 250 year history of the United States Army.
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