US Air Force unit
Military unit
The
309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group
(309th AMARG),
[3]
often called
The
Boneyard
, is a
United States Air Force
aircraft and missile storage and
maintenance
facility in
Tucson
, Arizona, located on
Davis?Monthan Air Force Base
. The 309th AMARG was previously
Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center
, and the
Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center.
The 309th AMARG takes care of nearly 4,000 aircraft, which makes it the largest aircraft storage and preservation facility in the world. An
Air Force Materiel Command
unit, the group is under the command of the
Ogden Air Logistics Complex
at
Hill Air Force Base
, Utah. The 309th AMARG was originally meant to store
excess
Department of Defense
and
Coast Guard
aircraft, but has in recent years been designated the sole repository of out-of-service aircraft from all branches of the US government. The facility has also received US-made foreign military aircraft such as the
Boeing CC-137
(from
RCAF
for use in the
E-8 JSTARS
program) and the
Lockheed CP-140A Arcturus
(2 from RCAF). The arid climate of the region makes the 309th AMARG an ideal location for storing aircraft, as there is very little humidity in the air that would corrode metal.
Furthermore, the surface is hard so that the aircraft do not sink into the ground.
[4]
History
[
edit
]
Aircraft storage at Davis-Monthan Field began when the
4105th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Aircraft Storage)
was organized in 1945, to house
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
and
Douglas C-47 Skytrain
aircraft.
[5]
Davis?Monthan Field
was chosen because of
Tucson
's low humidity, infrequent rainfall, alkaline soil, and high altitude of 2,550 feet (780 m), reducing rust and corrosion.
[6]
[7]
The hard soil makes it possible to move aircraft around without having to pave the storage areas.
In 1949, after the Air Force's creation as a separate service, the unit was redesignated as the 3040th Aircraft Storage Depot, and later 3040 Aircraft Storage Squadron. On 1 Jun 1956, the 3040 Aircraft Storage Squadron was discontinued. In 1965, the
Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center
was organized and tasked with processing aircraft for all the
United States armed forces
, not just the Air Force. The
Navy
had operated its own boneyard at
Naval Air Station Litchfield Park
at
Goodyear
, Arizona, for Navy,
Marine Corps
and
Coast Guard
aircraft. In February 1965, some 500 aircraft were moved from Litchfield Park to Davis?Monthan. NAS Litchfield Park was finally closed in 1968.
[8]
In the 1980s, the center began processing
intercontinental ballistic missiles
for dismantling or reuse in satellite launches, and was renamed the
Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center
(AMARC) to reflect the expanded focus on all aerospace assets.
[9]
In the 1990s, in accordance with the
START I
treaty, the center was tasked with eliminating 365
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
bombers.
[10]
The progress of this task was to be verified by Russia via
satellite
and first-person inspection at the facility. Initially, the B-52s were chopped into pieces with a 13,000 pound
guillotine
winched by a steel cable supported by a crane.
[11]
Later on, the tool of choice became K-12 rescue saws.
[
citation needed
]
This more precise technique afforded AMARC with salvageable
spare parts
.
In May 2007, the AMARC was transferred to the
309th Maintenance Wing
, and the center was renamed the
309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group
(AMARG).
[3]
Lineage
[
edit
]
- Constituted on 7 October 1964 as
The Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center
- Activated on 1 February 1965
- Redesignated
Aerospace Maintenance & Regeneration Center
on 1 October 1985
- Redesignated
309th Aerospace Maintenance & Regeneration Group
on 2 May 2007
[2]
Predecessors
[
edit
]
- 3040th Aircraft Storage Squadron
- Designated as the
4105th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Aircraft Storage)
and organized on 15 November 1945
- Redesignated
4105th Air Force Base Unit
(Aircraft Storage) on 26 September 1947
- Redesignated
3040th Aircraft Storage Depot
on 28 August 1948
- Redesignated
3040th Aircraft Storage Squadron
- Discontinued on 1 June 1956
[12]
- Arizona Aircraft Storage Squadron
- Designated as the
Arizona Aircraft Storage Squadron
and organized on 1 June 1956
- Discontinued on 1 August 1959
[13]
- 2704th Air Force Aircraft Storage and Disposition Group
- Designated as the
2704th Air Force Aircraft Storage and Disposition Group
and organized on 1 August 1959
- Discontinued on 1 February 1965
[12]
Assignments
[
edit
]
- Air Force Logistics Command, 7 October 1964
- Air Force Materiel Command, 1 July 1992
- 309th Maintenance Wing
, 2 May 2007 (attached to Ogden Air Logistics Complex after 12 July 2012)
- Ogden Air Logistics Complex, 1 October 2012 ? present
[2]
Storage procedures
[
edit
]
There are four categories of storage for aircraft at AMARG:
- Long Term (Type 1000) ? Aircraft are kept intact in “inviolate” storage for future use. No parts are removed without the express permission of appropriate program office.
[14]
[15]
- Parts Reclamation (Type 2000) ? Aircraft are kept,
picked apart
and used for
spare parts
- Flying Hold (Type 3000) ? Aircraft are kept intact with regular running of their engines, towing to lubricate their bearings and servicing of fluids.
[15]
- Excess of
DoD
needs (Type 4000) ? Aircraft are sold off whole or in parts
[16]
AMARG employs approximately 500 DoD civil servants and 200 contractors.
[17]
The 2,600-acre (11 km
2
) facility is adjacent to
the base
. On average, AMARG annually returns approximately $500 million worth of spare parts to military, government, and allied customers.
[17]
Congressional oversight determines what equipment may be sold to which customer.
An aircraft going into storage undergoes the following treatments:
- Ejection seat charges and classified hardware are removed.
- All aircraft are carefully washed with fresh water to remove environment residue and then allowed to dry.
- The fuel system is protected by draining it, refilling it with lightweight oil, running engines to coat fuel system plumbing and engines, and then draining it again. This leaves a protective oil film.
- The aircraft is sealed from dust, sunlight, and high temperatures. This is done using a variety of materials, including a high tech vinyl plastic compound that is sprayed on the aircraft. This compound is called
Spraylat
after its producer the Spraylat Corporation, and is applied in two coats, a black coat that seals the aircraft and a white coat that reflects the sun and helps to keep internal temperatures low.
[18]
The plane is then towed by a tug to its designated "storage" position.
On average the Group annually receives 300 aircraft for storage and processes out about the same number (with 50 to 100 of those returning to flying service). Aircraft that fly again either return to the U.S. military, U.S. government agencies such as the
U.S. Coast Guard
,
U.S. Forest Service
, and
NASA
, or are sold to allied governments under the
Foreign Military Sales
program.
Accessibility
[
edit
]
AMARG is a controlled-access site, and is off-limits to anyone not employed there without the proper clearance. From April 2013 onwards the base had hosted an annual 10K/5K run/walk which was open to the general public.
[19]
Use in film and TV production
[
edit
]
AMARG has been used as a filming location in several films and television productions, despite security
[
clarification needed
]
. The most recent and notable of these is
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
. The exterior scenes of the Smithsonian set were actually filmed in the Boneyard.
[20]
AMARG was featured in an episode of
TNT
's
The Great Escape
.
[17]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- Explanatory notes
- ^
While assigned to the 309th Wing, the group uses the wing emblem with the group designation on the scroll. AF Instruction 84-105, Organizational Lineage, Honors and History, 27 April 2017, paragraph 3.3.3.
- ^
Approved 15 May 1995.
- Citations
- ^
Pittman, Teresa (14 June 2021).
"309th AMARG welcomes new commander"
. Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
. Retrieved
30 October
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
Dollman, TSG David (8 August 2017).
"Factsheet 309 Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AFMC)"
. Air Force Historical Research Agency
. Retrieved
21 August
2019
.
- ^
a
b
Official 309th AMRG Renaming Ceremony
Archived
24 January 2008 at the
Wayback Machine
.
- ^
"How The World's Largest Airplane Boneyard Stores 3,100 Aircraft"
.
YouTube
.
Archived
from the original on 22 December 2021.
- ^
USAF AMARC Fact Sheet
Archived
21 August 2007 at the
Wayback Machine
.
- ^
Hanbury Evans Newill Vlattas and Company (January 1998).
"Design Compatibility Standards Davis ? Monthan Air Force Base Tucson, Arizona"
(PDF)
. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 14 January 2009
. Retrieved
28 December
2009
.
- ^
Napolitano, J. (May 2005).
"Arizona's Military Installations: Ready for the Transformation of the Department of Defense"
(PDF)
. azgovernor.gov. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 23 November 2009
. Retrieved
26 December
2009
.
- ^
"U.S. Navy Naval Aviation News July 1966, p. 18"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 24 June 2011
. Retrieved
19 February
2011
.
- ^
AMARC Experience Story
Archived
28 September 2007 at the
Wayback Machine
.
- ^
"START Treaty"
(PDF)
. U.S. Department of State. 31 July 1991
. Retrieved
28 December
2009
.
- ^
Norris, R.S. (1995).
"Nuclear Notebook"
.
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
.
51
(1): 69.
doi
:
10.1080/00963402.1995.11658033
.
- ^
a
b
See
Mueller, p. 103 (listing units at Davis?Monthan AFB)
- ^
"Abstract, History The Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center, April 1946 ? May 1974"
. Air Force History Index
. Retrieved
14 December
2013
.
- ^
Suciu, Peter (3 June 2021).
"The F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter Isn't Dead Just Yet"
.
The National Interest
. Retrieved
31 October
2021
.
- ^
a
b
"Living Boneyard"
.
Air Force Magazine
. Retrieved
31 October
2021
.
- ^
"Davis?Monthan Air Force Boneyard in Tucson: Boneyard Layout, Operations, Tours, and Maps"
.
www.airplaneboneyards.com
. Retrieved
1 April
2019
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
a
b
c
309 AMARG Public Affairs
[
verification needed
]
- ^
The AMARC Experience: Process-In
Archived
5 November 2016 at the
Wayback Machine
Retrieved 1 October 2016
- ^
"dm.af.mil: Desert Boneyard 10K Run & 5K Run/Walk"
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
"Transformers 2 Filming at AMARC"
. Archived from
the original
on 3 March 2016
. Retrieved
10 December
2009
.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
Further reading
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
32°10′N
110°51′W
/
32.16°N 110.85°W
/
32.16; -110.85