Authored by Allen Stein via The Epoch Times,
They are the dinosaurs of the modern age—hulking retired aircraft baking in the Arizona sun, stretching in rows across the desert.
Once America’s defenders of the sky—B-52 Stratofortress and B-1B Lancer bombers, F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters, C-130 Hercules and C-5 Galaxy cargo planes—they now sit idle, preserved for parts or history.
Maintaining and reclaiming these aircraft is no small task at the nation’s only military aircraft “boneyard.”
At Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) oversees that work.
“Most of these planes have been decommissioned, but the parts are still very useful. The parts are all viable,”public relations manager Robert Raine said during an April 21 tour of the 2,600-acre (4-square-mile) AMARG facility in Tucson.
Each aircraft is secured for long-term storage, drained of fluids, stripped of explosive components, and preserved against the slow wear of the desert.
Depending on the aircraft, some could be brought back into service, Raine said.
Since 1964, the maintenance group has served as the sole designated storage, salvage, and disposal center for U.S. military and government organization aircraft.
(Top) A row of military helicopters in storage at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group in Tucson, Ariz., on April 21, 2026. (Bottom) A C-5 Galaxy cargo plane with a 223-foot wingspan overshadows other military aircraft in storage at the “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz., on April 21, 2026. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times
Source: ZeroHedge News
