Parts worth $500M Extracted from U.S. Aircraft Boneyard

The U.S. Air Force's 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG), known as the "Aircraft Boneyard," reclaimed about 10,000 parts valued at $500 million over the past year.

Located at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, the facility holds nearly 4,000 aircraft and 6,650 aircraft engines, making it the world's largest aircraft storage and preservation site.

AMARG performs five core missions: storage, aircraft regeneration, parts reclamation, disposal preparation, and depot-level maintenance. Parts extracted from the boneyard support military operations by reducing costs and providing components no longer in production.

Robert Raine, AMARG’s public affairs director, said that the parts reclamation effort saves time and money by providing components that are no longer manufactured or would be costly to produce. "We're not an infinite source of parts, but we're often the only source of parts," he said.

Aircraft preservation at AMARG involves sealing aircraft with specialized coatings to protect against corrosion, extreme heat, and animal intrusion. Each aircraft is taped and sprayed with a removable sealant that reduces corrosion and keeps internal temperatures about 10 degrees cooler than the outside, which can become extremely hot during summer. The facility’s dry climate minimizes rust, while the hard soil allows easy transport of aircraft without the need for paved surfaces. Aircraft engines are stored in nitrogen-filled containers to prevent oxidation and corrosion.

The facility also regenerates aircraft for military and civilian use. Recently, two B-1 Lancer bombers were returned to service, while other aircraft, including C-23 Sherpas and B-57 bombers, were transferred to agencies like the U.S. Forest Service and NASA. Some aircraft are converted into unmanned aerial targets. Since the drone program began, nearly 1,100 aircraft — F-102 Delta Daggers, F-100 Super Sabres, F-106 Delta Darts, F-4 Phantom IIs and F-16 Fighting Falcons — have been processed for conversion.

When aircraft and parts are no longer needed, AMARG prepares them for disposal by shredding. Valuable materials like aluminum, copper, and exotic metals are salvaged to offset shredding costs. If the value of the recovered metals exceeds the cost of the operation, contractors issue the surplus as a payment to the U.S. Treasury Department.