309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) previously
designated Aircraft Maintenance And Regeneration Center (AMARC) is
located
at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.
The 309th AMARG is reponsible for storage of aircraft withdrawn from
service by the USAF, USN, USMC, USAr and USMC and in some occassasion
also stores aircraft from other countries. Aircraft are flown to
Davis-Monthan AFB from where they are transported (either taxi or are
towed) to the AMARG facility where they are prepared for storage. When
this process is completed the aircraft are towed to their storage area.
Four types of storage are in use:
|
Storage type |
Storage |
| |
|
| 1000 |
Aircraft stored but can be returned to
service. |
| 2000 |
Aircraft stored for parts reclamation. |
| 3000 |
Aircraft stored but is kept in flyable
condition. |
| 4000 |
Aircraft stored and waiting to be
scrapped. |
| |
|
Type 1000:
These aircraft are parked and can't be touched.
Type 2000:
Aircraft are cannabalized based on request for spare parts by an
operator. These parts are then removed from an aircraft, are checked and
then shipped.
Type 3000:
Aircraft are kept in a flyble condition. Their engines will be started
at the required maintenance intervals.
Type 4000:
These aircraft have been stripped of all useable parts. They will be
have all toxic materials removed, demilitarized and preparred for scrap.
Not all aircraft being prepared and stored by the 309th AMARG will end
up at scrap yards (surrounding Davis-Monthan AFB). A number of aircraft
have been returned to US services and also aircraft have been sold
through the Foreign Military Sales program. In these cases the selected
aircraft are processed and then transported to for instance a overhaul
facility where the aircraft are upgraded to customer specification
before being returned to service.
In 2015 a B-52H which was stored for seven years returned to the USAF
(tail number 61-1007). The USMC requested the return of 23 F/A-18C
Hornets. 309th AMARG completed this project in 2017 with delivering the
F/A-18s to Boeing to complete the upgrades needed to return the aircraft
to the USMC.
309th AMARG also delivers F-16s for the QF-16 (drone) conversion
program.
Related to the FMS program the US DoD sold OH-58D Kiowa Warrior
helicopters to NATO allies Croatia and Greece. The Kiowa's were
withdrawn by the US Army. |
