14-05-2013, 00:29
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חבר מתאריך: 13.11.04
הודעות: 16,823
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Living Boneyard - כתבה מעניינת על ה AMARC מתוך בטאון חהא"א
Living Boneyard
http://www.airforcemag.com/Magazine...13boneyard.aspx
In Fiscal 2012, for example, the Boneyard "pulled" more than 10,000 parts, with a value of $472 million. That figure is down a bit from the totals of previous years, but Lepper said that’s due in part to reduced demand, following the end of US operations in Iraq. During Fiscal 2012, the five fleets calling for the most parts, in order, were the F-15, B-1B, F-16, C-5, and C-135—collectively accounting for some 60 percent of the total. The only Navy airplane on the top 10 list, the P-3 Orion, came in sixth.
The AMARG plays waystation for some aircraft. In the last year, the Marine Corps bought 58 GR-9 vertical takeoff and landing aircraft from Britain as a source of spare parts. The GR-9 is the equivalent of the AV-8B Harrier that has been extended in USMC service due to delays with its replacement with F-35B strike fighters.
The AMARG is also used to store items that are not aircraft. Besides fuel tanks, missile bodies, and some vehicles, it also hosts rows of equipment that was used to build certain aircraft. The tooling for the B-2 bomber, for example, rests near B-52s and B-1s that are being harvested for parts. One of those B-1 fuselages was recently packed up and sent to Washington state, where Boeing will subject it to a stress test to determine the long-term service life potential of the remaining B-1B bombers.
The F-117 attack aircraft the Air Force retired several years ago, for example, are stored in their original hangars at Tonopah Test Range in Nevada.
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