Even planes that may not ever see flight time again may provide valuable replacement parts for other aircraft currently in service. Aircraft are carefully prepared for storage, with efforts made to preserve them for possible reinstatement into active duty. The center's name was changed in October 1985 to the Aerospace Maintenance And Regeneration Center - its current designation.ĭespite its tag as a graveyard, planes are not necessarily sent here to die. A new storage facility was added at Norton Air Force Base in California, specifically for this purpose. In 1981 the center once again widened its role by taking on the responsibility of preserving TITAN II, THOR and ATLAS missiles used by the Space Division for its satellite launches. As this conflict started winding down, vast quantities of aircraft were once more funneled back for storage and reclamation. In t he mid 1960s during the escalation of the Vietnam conflict, the center was again tasked with providing aircraft and parts. When the hostilities ceased, storage was once again provided for the surplus aircraft.

In the 1950's the center supported the US in t he Korean conflict by providing aircraft and aircraft spares. This location was chosen because of its dry, arid climate which reduces corrosion - as well as the hard earth that exists here, which enables the storage of thousands of heavy aircraft without having to pour acres of concrete. The facility was originally established in April 1946 as the 4105th Army Air Force Unit, designated as a storage location for the large number of aircraft no longer required following the end of the Second World War. It is the largest 'airplane graveyard' in the world, currently housing over 4,200 planes. It is an aerospace storage and maintenance facility adjoining Davis-Monthan Air Force Base which provides a service to all branches of the US military (Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and Army), as well as other national agencies. It is officially called the Aerospace Maintenance And Regeneration Center, or AMARC - but it is more widely known as the Airplane Graveyard.ĪMARC is a joint service facility managed by the US Air Force Material Command located in Tucson. But near Tucson, Arizona, there is a resting place of another kind – one that houses monuments that chronicle American history from a different perspective.

It is humbling to visit a national cemetery and see the thousands of headstones – each representing a life, a story, and a service to our country.Īrlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C., is the most recognized resting place for those that have served our country. This Memorial Day weekend, it is tradition to visit the graves of our fallen military soldiers – to remember, appreciate, and honor the lives given in service to our nation’s security and freedom.

Tucson airplane graveyard