309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group
The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, 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, and its predecessor was established after World War II as the 3040th Aircraft Storage Group. 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 excessDepartment 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 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.
History
The first predecessor of the 309th AMARG was established in 1946 as the 4105th Army Air Forces Base Unit to house Boeing B-29 Superfortress and Douglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft. Davis–Monthan Field was chosen because of Tucson's low humidity, infrequent rainfall, alkaline soil and high altitude of, reducing rust and corrosion. The hard soil makes it possible to move aircraft around without having to pave the storage areas. In 1948, after the Air Force's creation as a separate service, the unit was renamed the 3040th Aircraft Storage Depot. 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. 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 to reflect the expanded focus on all aerospace assets. In the 1990s, in accordance with the START I treaty, the center was tasked with eliminating 365 Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers. 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. Later on, the tool of choice became K-12 rescue saws. 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.
Lineage
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
Predecessors
; 3040th Aircraft Storage Squadron
Designated as the 4105th Army Air Forces Base Unit and organized on 15 November 1945
Ogden Air Logistics Complex, 1 October 2012 – present
Storage procedures
There are four categories of storage for aircraft at AMARG:
Long Term – Aircraft are kept intact for future use
Parts Reclamation – Aircraft are kept, picked apart and used for spare parts
Flying Hold – Aircraft are kept intact for shorter stays than Long Term
Excess of DoD needs – Aircraft are sold off whole or in parts
AMARG employs 700 people. The facility is adjacent to the base. On average, AMARG annually returns approximately $500 million worth of spare parts to military, government and allied customers. 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, 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. 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. Aircraft that fly again either return to the U.S. Military services, U.S. government agencies or are sold to allied governments under the Foreign Military Sales program.
Accessibility
AMARG is a controlled-access site, and is off-limits to anyone not employed there without the proper clearance. The only access for non-cleared individuals is via a bus tour which is conducted by the nearby Pima Air & Space Museum. Bus tours are on Monday to Friday. From April 2013 onwards the base has also hosted an annual 10K/5K run/walk which is open to the general public.
Use in film and TV production
AMARG has been a site of filming for scenes in several films and television productions, despite the security of AMARG and the base in general. The most recent and notable of these is . The exterior scenes of the Smithsonian set were actually filmed in the Boneyard. The 1986 film The Wraith starring Charlie Sheen had some scenes that were shot at the 309 AMARG. 309 AMARG was featured in an episode of TNT's The Great Escape.
