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The Tucson Chamber of Commerce established the nation's first municipally-owned airfield in 1919.
 Entrance to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base |
In 1927 the airfield was moved to the site southeast of town and dedicated as Davis-Monthan Field, then the largest municipal airport in the United States.
The airport was named in honor of Lieutenants Samuel H. Davis and Oscar Monthan, two WWI pilots, both Tucson natives, who died in military aircraft accidents.
Davis-Monthan Airport became Tucson Army Air Field in 1940, and in 1948, with the establishment of the United States Air Force, the facility was renamed Davis–Monthan Air Force Base.
Over the decades, a number of active aircraft have been based at Davis-Monthan, including the B-29 Superfortress, B-47 Stratojet, A-10 Warthog, and others.
Today, the host unit at Davis–Monthan is the 355th Fighter Wing (355 FW) assigned to Twelfth Air Force, which is headquartered at the base as part of Air Combat Command (ACC). The 355th flies the A-10 Thunderbolt II and associated support aircraft.
Davis-Monthan is also home to AMARG, the military's airplane storage and reclamation facility, also known as "The Boneyard", or aircraft graveyard.
With the end of World War II and victory over Japan and Germany assured, the United States found itself with a large inventory of aircraft, numbering about 65,000. These were temporarily stored and subsequently disposed of at 30 airfields, with the largest concentrations at these seven major depots:
- Clinton Naval Air Station in Oklahoma
- Walnut Ridge in Arkansas
- Kingman Army Airfield in Arizona
- Ontario, California
- Altus in Oklahoma
- Albuquerque
- Vernon in Texas
From these locales, while some planes went into civilian usage, most were scrapped and their metal components melted and sold.
Other planes were kept for future usage, and stored at several locations, including Warner-Robins, Victorville, Pyote in Texas, and Davis-Monthan. Immediately after the war, the Army's San Antonio Air Technical Service Command established a storage facility primarily for B-29 Superfortress and C-47 Skytrain aircraft at Davis-Monthan.
By May of 1946, more than 600 B-29 Superfortresses and 200 C-47 Skytrains had been moved to Davis-Monthan. In addition, about 30 other aircraft were stored that were destined for museums, including the "Enola Gay" and "Bockscar". Many of the B-29s would be pressed back into service as the Korean War escalated in the early 1950s.
Davis-Monthan's role in the storage of military aircraft was to continue well after the post-WWII era. With the area's low humidity in the 10%-20% range, meager rainfall of 11" annually, hard alkaline soil, and high altitude of 2,550 feet allowing the aircraft to be naturally preserved for cannibalization or possible reuse, Davis-Monthan was a clear choice as a major storage facility. It was possible to move aircraft around without having to pave the storage areas.
 Entrance gate to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Home of the 36th Air Division, as seen in this historic postcard |
In 1965, the Department of Defense decided to close its Litchfield Park storage facility in Phoenix, and consolidate the Navy's surplus air fleet into Davis-Monthan. Along with this move, the name of the 2704th Air Force Storage and Disposition Group was changed to Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center (MASDC) to better reflect its joint services mission.
In early 1965, aircraft from Litchfield Park began the move from Phoenix to Tucson, mostly moved by truck, a cheaper alternative than removing planes from their protective coverings, flying them, and them again protecting them.
In 1985, the facility's name was changed again, from MASDC to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARC).
The base is today the location of the Air Force Materiel Command's 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG), the sole aircraft boneyard for all excess military and government aircraft. The facility typically stores over 4,000 aircraft at a time.
 RF-4C Phantom tail number 68-0599 after regeneration at Davis-Monthan AMARG
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Air Force |
The final F-4 regenerated from storage at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group performed its last flight over Tucson, Arizonza on April 17, 2013, before flying to Mojave, California.
Tail number 68-0599, an RF-4C Phantom, arrived at AMARG for storage on January 18, 1989 and had not flown since. The jet's assigned call sign was "Last One."
AMARG's technicians re-installed hundreds of parts and performed thousands of hours of maintenance to return the fighter to flyable status. This aircraft represents the 316th F-4 withdrawn from storage in support of Air Combat Command's full-scale aerial target program.
BAE Systems will convert the aircraft into a QRF-4C drone, and then deliver it to the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.
Read more from the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base press release - 04/25/2013
Guided bus tours of AMARG are available Monday thru Friday, excluding Federal holidays. The tours last about an hour, and are highly recommended.
Seating is limited, and tickets issued on a first-come, first-serve basis, so plan ahead accordingly. Arrive at least one hour before scheduled departure times.
Purchase AMARG tour tickets at the Pima Air and Space Museum, located across E. Valencia Road from Davis-Monthan. Bus tours depart from the Pima entrance. Be aware that due to security requirements on Davis-Monthan, there are baggage checks before boarding the bus, and limitations on what you can carry on the tours. Government issued photo identification is also required for tour members age 16 or older.
Check with the museum regarding departure times and seasonal schedules.
Read more about the Pima Air and Space Museum.
Map showing relative location of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the AMARG boneyard
and Pima Air Museum |
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Air Force material Command
Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center ... now AMARG |
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F-100 Super Sabre S/N 63880 in storage at AMARG
Lt. Col. Gene Gaddis still painted on the fuselage |
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Rows and rows of jet fighters in storage at AMARG |
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B-1 Bomber in storage at AMARG |
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Boeing C-135 S/N 91518 at AMARG |
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United Air Lines Boeing 727-22, S/N N7004U, built in 1963, at Davis-Monthan, now moved to the Pima Museum |
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U.S. Air Force C-22 Transport ... variant of the Boeing 727 |
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Convair C-131 Samaritan, S/N 72552, military version of the Convair 240 |
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F-4 Phantom fighters stored at AMARG |
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C-141 Starlifter sliced in half - former AETC aircraft from Altus AFB, S/N 67946 at AMARG |
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F-111 Aardvarks in storage at AMARG |
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KC-135 aircraft at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base AMARG in October, 2012 |
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C-130 aircraft at Davis-Monthan AFB AMARG in October, 2012 |
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Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II in storage at AMARG at Davis-Monthan AFB |
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Douglas A-26A / B-26K S/N 64-17679A at Davis-Monthan AMARG
This A-26A (B-26K) was used in the mid to late 1960s for training crews going to Thailand for the Special Ops war over Laos. The photo below was taken at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, after the airplane was sent to the boneyard. Aircraft 64-17679 was used at England Air Force Base (EAFB) in Alexandria, La, and Hurlburt Field in Florida for training, and is now being restored to flight at the Greatest Generation Aircraft Museum at Meacham Field, Ft Worth, TX. The airplane will be returned to the same colors she wore at England AFB and bear the IF tail code. She is the last flying AF modified A-26A left.
In October of 2013, the volunteers from Greatest Generation Aircraft hope to fly the airplane to Hurlburt for the Air Commando Association Reunion and Memorial Service flyover. They also plan to stop in Alexandria and meet people who might remember those days when the A-26 roared across the area.
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Aerial view of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (U.S. Air Force archives) |
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Current day aerial view of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona (U.S. Air Force archives) |
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Boeing B-29 "Bockscar" in storage at Davis-Monthan AFB (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Air Force)
Now on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio |
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End of the line: B-36 Peacemakers at Davis-Monthan AFB in 1958 awaiting scrapping (U.S. Air Force Photo) |
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EC-121 at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (U.S. Air Force archives) |
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Boeing 367-80 "Dash 80" in storage at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base ... now on display at Udvar-Hazy |
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VC-25A "Air Force One" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base during visit by President George Bush
(U.S. Air Force archives) |
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Aerial view of aircraft in storage at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base AMARG boneyard
(Google Maps) |
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C-141 and B-52 aircraft at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base AMARG boneyard
(Google Maps) |
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Aerial view of C-130 aircraft at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base AMARG boneyard |
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Aerial view of C-135 aircraft at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base AMARG boneyard |
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Aerial view of USAF fighter aircraft at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base AMARG boneyard |
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