The Boneyard: Where U.S. Army, Navy and Military Airplanes Go to Die

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A Lockheed C-5 Galaxy Cargo Jet: the largest aircraft in the U.S. Army.

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U.S. Navy Beechcraft T-34 Mentor trainers.

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Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knights.

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Abandoned F-16 Fighting Falcons are set to become drone target planes in the near future.

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Lockheed C-130 Hercules cargo planes.

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Two Polish LiM 5's. These are licensed copies of Soviet MiG 17's.

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F-16 Fighting Falcons.

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A Boeing 707, serial no. TWA N28714.

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A McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, which features service records on its side.

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The Bell OH-58 Kiowa helicopter has served in every U.S. Army battle since the Vietnam War.

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A Boeing 707 jet.

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A U.S. Coast Guard C-27J inside a maintenance shelter.

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A U.S. Navy Lockheed P-3C Orion.

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Lockheed C-5 Galaxy cargo jets.

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The inside of a C-5 Galaxy cargo plane's cockpit is decorated with its last crew members' farewell messages.

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A look through a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy cargo jet, the largest aircraft in the U.S. Army.

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An F4 Phantom.

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A goodbye message written by "Roddy" inside the nose cone of an F4 Phantom from 1982.

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Ever wonder how old airplanes are disposed of? Nestled in Tucson, Arizona’s vast desert landscape lies “The Boneyard,” which originally opened in 1946 to house planes, missiles, and other aircraft maintenance and disposal facilities shortly after WWII ended. Officially known as the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the Boneyard is the largest of its kind and has since expanded from short-term storage space to airplane tomb as planes became lost and forgotten with the emergence of newer models and aircraft technology. The Boneyard now holds approximately 4,400 military aircraft and 13 aerospace vehicles that have spent their days serving various federal agencies including the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy-Marine Corps, NASA and Coast Guard.

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