Try typing the following place into Google Maps: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
What will unfold before your eyes will be this panorama: rows and rows of decommissioned planesabout 4,000 mainly military aircraftpositioned neatly next to each other. All around a barren and arid landscape, where the color brown dominates.
This place is called 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center, known by the acronym AMARG and it is found to be found in the United StatesArizona.
Often described as the “largest aircraft cemetery in the world, AMARG is actually much more than this: things are done here repairs, numerous are obtained spare parts for aircraft in operation and finally the aircraft are prepared for the final disposal.
What AMARG is and how it became an aircraft storage center
AMARG hosts today approx 4,000 planes owned by the US federal government and numerous allied countries. Every month, theinventory of the aircraft present, which can be consulted on the official website, is enriched with new entries, while other models are definitively disposed of.
There history of this place begins at end of the Second World War: the United States, thanks also to its fleet of military aircraft, led to the final victory of the Allies, but the planes used mostly war effortwhich were of the impressive figure of capproximately 295,000 specimenssuddenly became a problem. What to do with all these aircraft?
The damaged aircraft they were sent abroad to be dismantled and disposed of, but one was clearly needed internal solution. They were thus created approximately 30 US depots for short to long term storage.
Initially, the Davis-Monthan military basewhich today has become the AMARG, was one of the smallest depots, used exclusively for aircraft such as the Boeing B-29 Superfortress and the C-47 Skytrain. But then, towards the mid 1950swith the closure of many other storage centers, Davis-Monthan grew and consolidated itself as a reference disposal center, so much so that in 1985 was officially born onAerospace Maintanance and Regeneration CenterAMARC.
This base proved to be particularly suitable for aircraft storage thanks to a number of natural characteristics: wide desert spacesa ground that does not sink under the weight of aircraft, so it does not need to be asphalted and a little rainfall. All factors that contribute to reducing the aircraft corrosion.
Todaythis storage site hosts an average of 4,000 aircraft, including civil aircraft: Around the beginning of the 1990s they were sent here 200 copies of Boeing 707 and Boeing 720, from which components are periodically removed to be installed in more modern aircraft.
The AMARG also hosts flying aircraft Italian flag: Between 2002 and 2004, the Italian government signed an agreement for the remanufacturing and repair of 30 F-16A and 4 F-16B military aircraft.
What happens to decommissioned military aircraft and what happens in AMARG
When an aircraft ends up at AMARG, it is not simply parked awaiting disposal, but there are a whole series of works to be performedfor its correct conservation.
First, gods are taken engine oil samplesfhydraulic fluid and of landing gear fluidwhich are sent to the laboratory for analysis on their danger.
Potential components and materials are then removed dangerouswhich are stored in a separate area, while those subject to deterioration are extracted and taken to closed warehouses or disposed of. THE fuel tanks, once emptied, they are filled with conservation oilwhich is then pumped throughout the fuel system to preserve the components as tanks, pipes and pumps.
At this point, the aircraft suffers a washing and one cleaning in-depth and is subsequently treated with a vinyl compound (called in technical jargon Spraylat), applied in two layers. The first layer protects the aircraft from dust, humidity and insectswhile the second layer is used to reflect sunlightprotecting the aircraft from excessive heat which could cause a consequent to reach critical temperatures rapid deterioration.
The aircraft is then ready for final storage, which can happen in different categories. If the aircraft is in good condition and still capable of flying, it is stored in a specific section where it will remain for a period that can last up to 4 years. There are also sections dedicated to aircraft destined for recoverywhich are sent for maintenance, and a section for those awaiting transfersale or assignment. Finally, there is an area for aircraft destined for the definitive disposal.
The operation of definitive disposal However, it doesn’t happen in this “aircraft graveyard”. An aircraft no longer suitable for recovery is given over to management Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO).
The recycling and reuse operations carried out at AMARG are fundamentalsif we think that in the coming years there will be more and more civil and military aircraft heading towards end of life.
