Currently 309 AMARG stores more than 4,400 aircraft and 13 aerospace vehicles from the Air Force, Navy-Marine Corps, Army, Coast Guard, and several federal agencies including NASA
Taken at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (AFB), Ariz., the incredible photos in this post show some of the 4,400 retired military aircraft stored at the U.S. Air Force (USAF) “Boneyard,” the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (309 AMARG).
As we have already explained 309 AMARG is a one-of-a-kind specialized facility within the Air Force Materiel Command structure: in fact crews at the Boneyard preserve aircraft for possible future use, pull aircraft parts to supply to the field, and perform depot-level maintenance and aircraft regeneration in support of the USAF operations.
309 AMARG origins can be traced back to was to 1946 when Army’s San Antonio Air Technical Service Command established a storage facility for B-29 and C-47 aircraft at Davis-Monthan AFB.
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base 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. The hard soil makes it possible to move aircraft around without having to pave the storage areas.
The Boneyard 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.
Currently 309 AMARG stores more than 4,400 aircraft and 13 aerospace vehicles from the Air Force, Navy-Marine Corps, Army, Coast Guard, and several federal agencies including NASA.
Incredibly its 4,400 aircraft would make of the 309 AMARG the second largest air force in the world (with USAF ranking at number one).
Photo credit: U.S. Air Force
Artwork courtesy of AircraftProfilePrints.com
Source: U.S. Air force
