Inside the U.S. Airpower Reserve

309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group’s vital facility is far more than a ‘boneyard.’

Ryan Ewing

Friday, February 13, 2026 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group facility in Tucson, Arizona [Credit: Connor O'Shea]

Key Takeaways:

The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG), or "The Boneyard," is a critical military aviation logistics engine and preservation program, far from being just a scrapyard.
It serves as a vital global parts reservoir, delivering over 10,000 components annually for grounded or mission-impaired aircraft, and can also regenerate entire airframes for active service within weeks.
Housing over 3,400 aircraft and 270,000 pieces of tooling, AMARG meticulously preserves these assets in the dry desert climate, acting as a "silent insurance policy" to maintain U.S. and allied fleet readiness.

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From the moment you cross into the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Tucson’s Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the desert looks like it’s been overrun by aluminum. Aircraft stretch to every horizon—jets, transporters, helicopters, shapes both familiar and forgotten—lined with geometric precision in the sun-bleached earth.

It feels, at first glance, like an enormous scrapyard.