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 protecting them again. 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.Īlong 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 addition, about 30 other aircraft were stored at Davis-Monthan that were destined for museums, including the 'Enola Gay' and 'Bockscar'. The geology of the desert allows aircraft to be moved around without having to pave the storage areas.īy May of 1946, more than 600 B-29 Superfortresses and 200 C-47 Skytrains had been moved to Davis-Monthan. Stacks of Republic F-84F Thunderstreaks at Davis-Monthan AFB awaiting scrapping in November, 1958