Tucson airplane graveyard1/19/2023 ![]() ![]() The sprayed aircraft can then safely remain in its designated spot for a good while without incurring any long-term damage. Spraylat is one such vinyl plastic compound and its application includes a black coat to seal the aircraft and a white coat to keep the temperature down. To protect the aircraft from dust, heat and light exposure, the technicians spray the aircraft with two coats of protective plastic compounds. Doing so coats the fuel system plumbing and engines with a protective oil layer. They drain the fuel system, refill it with lightweight oil, run the engines, and then drain the oil. They wash the plane thoroughly with clean water to remove dust and residue. The technicians remove the plane’s classified hardware and the charges under the ejection seat. In the case of aircraft that they cannot repair for reuse, they take them apart completely and salvage spare parts from them.īefore putting any aircraft into storage, AMARG processes it carefully. The aircraft technicians repair some aircraft for the Department of Defence’s reuse. ( JOC Lon Cabot / National Archives and Records Administration) Storage and processing at AMARGĪMARG stores aircraft in an intact state for long-term use and for shorter stays. The latter made it possible for AMARC to gather more salvageable spare parts. AMARC initially used a 13,000-pound, crane-supported, steel-cable guillotine to chop the B-52s to pieces. The Soviets could view this dismantling via satellite and by on-site inspection at the facility. An AMARG is a boneyard facility for all excess military and government aircraft. To comply with this treaty, AMARC began dismantling 365 B-52 bombers. The Boneyard is formally known as the 309th AMARG (Aerospace Maintenance And Regeneration Group). On 31 July 1991, the United States and the Soviet Union signed a bilateral treaty to reduce and limit strategic offensive arms, and this treaty came into force on 5 December 1994. These missiles are also reused for launching satellites. In addition to processing aircraft, the facility at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base began dismantling intercontinental ballistic missiles in the 1980s. Three years later, in 1968, they closed Litchfield Park. But, in 1965, they moved 500 of these to the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The Navy initially had their own plane graveyard at Naval Air Station Litchfield Park in Goodyear in Arizona, where they sent all the coast guard, navy, and marine planes. In the 1960s, the US armed forces sent their out-of-service aircraft to this base. The US government stored the bomber aircraft, Boeing B-29 Superfortress and the military transport aircraft, Douglas C-47 Skytrain, at the base after the Second World War. It also helps that the hard soil makes moving the planes around easier. The dry climate of the area is conducive for storing aircraft since low humidity means less rust and corrosion. ![]()
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