309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group emblem[a][2]
Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center emblem[b]
Military unit
Aerial view of the AMARC facility, 16 May 1992.Welcome sign at AMARC before its 2007 name change.Boeing 707s being used for salvage parts for theC-135 airframe at AMARG.Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk helicopter at AMARGB-1 bombers in storage at AMARGNavy and Marine CorpsMcDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II fighters in storage at AMARG.
The309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (309th AMARG),[3] often calledTheBoneyard, is aUnited States Air Force aircraft and missile storage andmaintenance facility inTucson, Arizona, located onDavis–Monthan Air Force Base. The 309th AMARG was previouslyAerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center, and theMilitary 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. AnAir Force Materiel Command unit, the group is under the command of theOgden Air Logistics Complex atHill Air Force Base, Utah. The 309th AMARG was originally meant to storeexcessDepartment of Defense andCoast 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 theBoeing CC-137 (fromRCAF for use in theE-8 JSTARS program) and theLockheed 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]
Aircraft storage at Davis-Monthan Field began when the4105th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Aircraft Storage) was organized in 1945, to houseBoeing B-29 Superfortress andDouglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft.[5]Davis–Monthan Field was chosen because ofTucson'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, theMilitary Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center was organized and tasked with processing aircraft for all theUnited States armed forces, not just the Air Force. TheNavy had operated its own boneyard atNaval Air Station Litchfield Park atGoodyear, Arizona, for Navy,Marine Corps andCoast 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 processingintercontinental ballistic missiles for dismantling or reuse in satellite launches, and was renamed theAerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARC) to reflect the expanded focus on all aerospace assets.[9]
In the 1990s, in accordance with theSTART I treaty, the center was tasked with eliminating 365Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers.[10] The progress of this task was to be verified by Russia viasatellite and first-person inspection at the facility. Initially, the B-52s were chopped into pieces with a 13,000 poundguillotine 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 salvageablespare parts.
In May 2007, the AMARC was transferred to the309th Maintenance Wing, and the center was renamed the309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG).[3]
McDonnell F-4C-20-MC Phantom II AF Serial No. 63-7602 of the 4455th CCTS/4453d Combat Crew Training Wing, 16 July 1970. Aircraft was scrapped at Hill AFB, UT November 1986
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]
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 ofDoD 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 km2) facility is adjacent tothe 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 calledSpraylat 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.
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.[20]
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 isTransformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The exterior scenes of the Smithsonian set were actually filmed in the Boneyard.[21]
^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.
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