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World's largest aircraft boneyard has over 4,000 planes

Wednesday, 21/02/2024, 15:44 (GMT+7)

The aircraft boneyard, situated in the Tucson, Arizona desert, serves as a resting place for aircraft that once played significant roles during their prime.

The desert is approximately 2,600 acres and contains over 4,000 planes.

This vast expanse constitutes the world’s largest aircraft boneyard, home to thousands of aircraft that have been used in the world.

Additionally, the desert has excess military and government aircraft. These include vehicles from the Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and NASA.

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The desert covers approximately 2,600 acres and houses over 4,000 planes, making it the world's largest aircraft boneyard. Image credit: Youtube

Known as 'The Boneyard,' it is the largest aircraft storage and preservation facility in the world and is located at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona.

The desert has acted as a scrapyard since World War II and currently holds £30 billion worth of military might. 

Designated as the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, this facility encompasses aircraft from the US Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and Navy.

The desert is home to over 4,000 planes, where the process of rust damage occurs

The video shows that some of the planes are nearly new, while others have been dismantled and boxed into pieces, ready to be sent around the world to help build other planes.

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The boneyard contains thousands of aircraft that have been previously used around the world. Image credit: Youtube

Much of the aircraft's interior had been removed and debris was scattered around the aircraft.

Among them, they have become rotten, damaged, and completely unrecognizable due to depleted fuel, abandoned weapons, and protective paint sprayed by specialized painters.

There are thousands of abandoned aircraft in Arizona, where dry temperatures and low humidity help prevent the damaging processes of rust and corrosion.

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Known as "The Boneyard," it is located at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. Image Credits: Youtube.

Additionally, more people have landed and been taken to cemeteries during the pandemic than at any other time.

A video capturing the aircraft in the sky quickly went viral on social media.

The original video was filmed in 2022; however, it gained viral attention on social media when a user shared it again on Reddit.

The video has the caption: “The World’s largest Aircraft Boneyard from above - this is the sole aircraft boneyard and parts reclamation facility for all excess military and U.S. government aircraft".

Numerous viewers were stunned by the vastness of the boneyard as seen from the sky.

Several viewers were shocked by the impressive sight.

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The desert has been functioning as a scrapyard since World War II. Image Credits: Youtube

One person said: It's amazing how much time, energy and money has to go into simply maintaining aircraft when they don't do anything.

A second wrote: This is a fantastic "museum" I've been there with someone who was picking up parts. It was amazing! We wandered for a few hours and were just blown away.

A Third commented: Might need a big service crew to start making them all air worthy again, cheaper and quicker than building new ones.

Someone else said: Went there for a tour several decades ago.  I'm still impressed by the scale and dedication of the staff who work there.