309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group

{{Short description|US Air Force unit}}{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}} {{Use American English|date=August 2019}} {{Infobox military unit | unit_name = 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group [[File:Air Force Materiel Command shield.svg|center|60px]] | image = Aerial view of Davis-Monthan AFB AMARG in March 2015.JPG | image_size = 300 | caption = Aircraft in storage at [[Davis–Monthan AFB]] | dates = 1964–present | country = United States | allegiance = | branch = [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] | type = Group | role = Equipment Support | size = | command_structure = [[Air Force Materiel Command]] | current_commander = [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]] Neil O. Aurelio<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.dm.af.mil/Media/Article-View/Article/2656795/309th-amarg-welcomes-new-commander/ |last1=Pittman|first1=Teresa|title=309th AMARG welcomes new commander|date=14 June 2021|publisher=Davis-Monthan Air Force Base|access-date=30 October 2021}}</ref> | garrison = [[Davis–Monthan Air Force Base]] | nickname = | motto = | colors = | march = | mascot = | battles = | notable_commanders = | anniversaries = | decorations = | battle_honours = | identification_symbol = [[File:309 Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Gp.jpg|160px]] | identification_symbol_label = 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group emblem{{efn|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.}}<ref name=309AMARGfacts>{{cite web |url= https://www.dafhistory.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/1271655/309-aerospace-maintenance-and-regeneration-group-afmc/ |last1=Dollman|first1=TSG David|title=Factsheet 309 Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AFMC)|date=8 August 2017|publisher=Air Force Historical Research Agency|access-date=21 August 2019}}</ref> | identification_symbol_2 = [[File:Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center emblem.png|165px]] | identification_symbol_2_label = Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center emblem{{efn|Approved 15 May 1995.}} }}

The '''309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group''' (309th AMARG),<ref name="309AMRG">[http://www.dm.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123051831 Official 309th AMRG Renaming Ceremony] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080124045959/http://www.dm.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123051831 |date=24 January 2008 }}.</ref> often called '''The [[Aircraft graveyard|Boneyard]]''', is a [[United States Air Force]] aircraft and missile storage and [[Caretaker (military)|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 [[military surplus|excess]] [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] and [[United States Coast Guard|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 [[Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYsOFXnfsCU |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/mYsOFXnfsCU |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|title=How The World's Largest Airplane Boneyard Stores 3,100 Aircraft|website=[[YouTube]] |date=28 February 2021 }}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==History== 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.<ref>[http://www.dm.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=5297 USAF AMARC Fact Sheet] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070821020340/http://www.dm.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=5297 |date=21 August 2007 }}.</ref> [[Davis–Monthan Field]] was chosen because of [[Tucson, Arizona|Tucson]]'s low humidity, infrequent rainfall, alkaline soil, and high altitude of {{convert|2550|ft|m}}, reducing rust and corrosion.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spa.usace.army.mil/ec/DMAFBDG.pdf |title=Design Compatibility Standards Davis – Monthan Air Force Base Tucson, Arizona |author=Hanbury Evans Newill Vlattas and Company |date=January 1998 |publisher=U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |access-date=28 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114120745/http://www.spa.usace.army.mil/ec/DMAFBDG.pdf |archive-date=14 January 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.azgovernor.gov/mft/documents/051305~MilitaryInstallationMay2005~Updated.pdf |title=Arizona's Military Installations: Ready for the Transformation of the Department of Defense |author=Napolitano, J. |date=May 2005 |publisher=azgovernor.gov |access-date=26 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091123204215/http://www.azgovernor.gov/mft/documents/051305~MilitaryInstallationMay2005~Updated.pdf |archive-date=23 November 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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 [[United States Navy|Navy]] had operated its own boneyard at [[Naval Air Station Litchfield Park]] at [[Goodyear, Arizona|Goodyear]], Arizona, for Navy, [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] and [[United States Coast Guard|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.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1960s/1966/Jul66.pdf |title=U.S. Navy Naval Aviation News July 1966, p. 18 |access-date=19 February 2011 |archive-date=24 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110624055137/http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1960s/1966/Jul66.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the 1980s, the center began processing [[intercontinental ballistic missile]]s 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.<ref>[http://www.amarcexperience.com/AMARCHistory.asp AMARC Experience Story] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928204916/http://www.amarcexperience.com/AMARCHistory.asp |date=28 September 2007 }}.</ref>

In the 1990s, in accordance with the [[START I]] treaty, the center was tasked with eliminating 365 [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress]] bombers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/27361.pdf |title=START Treaty |date=31 July 1991 |publisher=U.S. Department of State|access-date=28 December 2009 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Norris |first1=R.S. |year=1995 |title=Nuclear Notebook |journal=Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists |volume=51 |issue=1 |pages=69 |doi=10.1080/00963402.1995.11658033 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=twwAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA69|doi-access=free }}</ref> Later on, the tool of choice became K-12 rescue saws.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} This more precise technique afforded AMARC with salvageable [[spare part]]s.

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).<ref name="309AMRG"/>

[[File:F-4c-63-7602-4455ccts-4453cctw-16july1970.jpg|thumb|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]]

===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<ref name=309AMARGfacts/>

===Predecessors=== ; 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<ref name=Mueller103>''See'' Mueller, p. 103 (listing units at Davis–Monthan AFB)</ref>

; Arizona Aircraft Storage Squadron * Designated as the '''Arizona Aircraft Storage Squadron''' and organized on 1 June 1956 ** Discontinued on 1 August 1959<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.airforcehistoryindex.org/data/001/009/140.xml |title=Abstract, History The Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center, April 1946 – May 1974|publisher=Air Force History Index|access-date=14 December 2013}}</ref>

; 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<ref name=Mueller103/>

===Assignments=== * 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<ref name=309AMARGfacts/>

==Storage procedures== 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.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Suciu|first=Peter|date=2021-06-03|title=The F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter Isn't Dead Just Yet|url=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/f-117-nighthawk-stealth-fighter-isnt-dead-just-yet-186725|access-date=2021-10-31|website=The National Interest|language=en}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|title=Living Boneyard|url=https://www.airforcemag.com/article/0213boneyard/|access-date=2021-10-31|website=Air Force Magazine|language=en-US}}</ref> * Parts Reclamation (Type 2000) – Aircraft are kept, [[cannibalization (parts)|picked apart]] and used for [[spare part]]s. * Flying Hold (Type 3000) – Aircraft are kept intact with regular running of their engines, towing to lubricate their bearings and servicing of fluids.<ref name="auto"/> * Excess of [[United States Department of Defense|DoD]] needs (Type 4000) – Aircraft are sold off whole or in parts.<ref>{{cite web |title=Davis–Monthan Air Force Boneyard in Tucson: Boneyard Layout, Operations, Tours, and Maps |url=http://airplaneboneyards.com/davis-monthan-afb-amarg-airplane-boneyard.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813084810/http://airplaneboneyards.com/davis-monthan-afb-amarg-airplane-boneyard.htm |url-status=live |archive-date=13 August 2014 |website=www.airplaneboneyards.com |access-date=1 April 2019 }}</ref>

AMARG employs approximately 500 DoD civil servants and 200 contractors.<ref name="309 AMARG Public Affairs">309 AMARG Public Affairs{{vs|date=October 2017}}</ref> The {{convert|2600|acre|km2|0|adj=on}} facility is adjacent to [[Davis–Monthan Air Force Base|the base]]. On average, AMARG annually returns approximately $500 million worth of spare parts to military, government, and allied customers.<ref name="309 AMARG Public Affairs"/> 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.<ref>[http://www.amarcexperience.com/AMARCProcesses.asp The AMARC Experience: Process-In] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161105173835/http://www.amarcexperience.com/AMARCProcesses.asp |date=5 November 2016 }} Retrieved 1 October 2016</ref> 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 [[United States Coast Guard|U.S. Coast Guard]], [[United States Forest Service|U.S. Forest Service]], and [[NASA]], or are sold to allied governments under either the [[Foreign Military Sales]] program of the [[Arms Export Control Act]],{{cn|date=September 2024}} or the [[Excess Defense Articles]] program of the [[Foreign Assistance Act]].<ref name="js1">{{cite news |last1=SIMINSKI |first1=JACEK |title=Poland Signs Excess Defense Article Deal Procuring Five Extra C-130Hs (Resurrected From The “Boneyard”) |url=https://theaviationist.com/2021/04/14/poland-signs-excess-defense-article-deal-procuring-five-extra-c-130hs-resurrected-from-the-boneyard/ |publisher=The Aviationist |date=14 April 2021}}</ref>

==Accessibility== 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dm.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/666278/desert-boneyard-10k-run-5k-runwalk/|title=dm.af.mil: Desert Boneyard 10K Run & 5K Run/Walk}}{{dead link|date=March 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

==Use in film and TV production== AMARG has been used as a filming location in several films and television productions, despite security{{Clarify|date=November 2022}}. 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.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.deaddog.com/?p=7950 |title=Transformers 2 Filming at AMARC |access-date=10 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303201628/http://www.deaddog.com/?p=7950 |archive-date=3 March 2016 }}</ref>

AMARG was featured in an episode of [[TNT (U.S. TV network)|TNT]]'s ''[[The Great Escape (U.S. TV series)|The Great Escape]]''.<ref name="309 AMARG Public Affairs"/>

AMARG was featured in the film ''[[Can't Buy Me Love (film)|Can't Buy Me Love]]'' (1987) .<ref name="io9">{{cite web| url=https://tucson.com/article_13c49448-48d7-11ed-8a50-534673ad5d98.html| title=Can't Buy Me Love| date=10 October 2022| publisher=Arizona Daily Star| access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>

==See also== * [[Pinal Airpark]]

==References== ===Notes=== ; Explanatory notes {{Notelist}}

; Citations {{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography=== * {{cite book|last=Mueller|first=Robert|title=Air Force Bases, Vol. I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982|url= https://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/21/2001330255/-1/-1/0/AFD-100921-026.pdf |year=1989|publisher=Office of Air Force History|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0-912799-53-6|page=103}}

===Further reading=== * ''Boneyard Almanac: The History and Current State of America's Largest Aircraft Collection'' {{ISBN|978-1489533111}} * ''Ladies in Waiting: A Pictorial Review of Davis–Monthan AFB'' {{ISBN|978-0-89747-269-2}}

==External links== {{Commons category}} * [https://www.dm.af.mil/About-DM/Units/Mission-Partners/309-AMARG/ AMARG at Davis–Monthan AFB] Official Site

{{DEFAULTSORT:309th Aerospace Maintenance And Regeneration Group}} [[Category:Groups of the United States Air Force]] [[Category:Military units and formations in Arizona]] [[Category:Organizations based in Tucson, Arizona]] [[Category:Aircraft graveyards]]