Row of U.S. Navy and U.S Marine H-34 Choctaw.
February 1st, 1965 to October 1st, 1985
On February 1, 1965 the center was once again re-designated, this time to the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center, or MASDC. This re-designation was the result of the decision by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Installations and Logistics (Thomas D. Morris) to close NAF Litchfield Park, located just to the west of Phoenix, AZ., some 150 miles away from Davis-Monthan AFB.Until this time the US Navy used NAF Litchfield Park as it's primary location to store it's reserve and retention aircraft, it was viewed that by combining with MASDC a more efficient and cost effective solution would be created. The name, without a specific reference to the Air Force or its structure, was chosen to better reflect the new multi-service mission of the combined facility.
MASDC's stated core purpose and objectives were as follows: To serve as the centralized facility for storing, processing, maintaining, regenerating, reclaiming parts from, and disposing of surplus or excess military aircraft across all branches of the U.S. armed forces (not just the Air Force, but also the Navy, Marines, Army, and Coast Guard).
The closure of Litchfield Park was just one part of several waves of broader DoD-level decisions on base closures, infrastructure consolidation, and logistics efficiencies during the McNamara era (under Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, 1961–1968). This included various base realignments and cost-saving measures amid post-WWII drawdowns and Vietnam-era pressures.
Major Announcements from this era were made in December 1963, when McNamara announced the closure or reduction of 26 DoD installations or activities in the Continental United States (CONUS), and in November 1964. when a much larger wave was announced including the closure and/or realignment of 95 installations (80 in the U.S. across 33 states and D.C., plus 15 overseas).
Major facilities included the Brooklyn Navy Yard (New York), Brooklyn Army Terminal (New York), Springfield Armory (Massachusetts), 6 bomber bases (specific names varied by announcement, often tied to phase-outs of older aircraft like B-47s) and 15 Air Defense Command radar stations which was part of shifting from manned aircraft/radar defense to missile-based systems.
Other notable examples around 1964–1966 included phase-outs or reductions at sites like:Brookley Air Force Base (Mobile, Alabama) — functions phased out and transferred by 1969. Norton Air Force Base (San Bernardino, California) — Air Materiel Area functions phased out. Various Titan I missile sites (e.g., at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho) inactivated by 1965. Numerous smaller surplus property activities and machine tool storage facilities consolidated or terminated.
These actions were part of McNamara's aggressive push, which closed or realigned hundreds of installations overall in the early-to-mid-1960s (e.g., 73 announced in 1961 under Kennedy/McNamara, plus earlier ones). The rationale mirrored the Litchfield Park case: eliminating redundancy, centralizing functions (like aircraft storage or logistics), and adapting to new technologies (e.g., missiles replacing bombers/radar networks).While the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Installations and Logistics oversaw many logistics and property-related decisions (including the aircraft consolidation), most public announcements and high-profile closures were attributed directly to McNamara/DoD leadership.This era's closures were controversial, sparking local economic concerns and leading Congress to push for more oversight.
On the 18th September 1963 an informal Review Board was established with representation from the CNO (Chief of Naval Operations), the Bureau of Naval Weapons, the Aviation Supply Office, and the storage facility at Litchfield Park.Its purpose was to provide the continuing actions necessary for the effective management of the inactive aircraft inventory and to review he inventory at least every six months for the purpose of recommending the retention or disposal of specific models.
NAF Litchfield Park Closure
Established during WWII (opened in 1941 as NAF Litchfield Park), the base initially supported aircraft testing, delivery, and modifications. After the war, it became the U.S. Navy's primary long-term storage and preservation site for surplus/obsolete aircraft from the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. At its peak, it stored over 5,000 aircraft.
Following the announcement of Litchfield Park's closure, the first of over 1,100 aircraft began leaving Litchfield Park. During January 1965 the first aircraft, 52 flyable/reserve Grumman TF-9J Cougars, arrived at MASDC. Owing to the costs associated with regenerating the aircraft and flying them the short distance down to MASDC (and re-preservation once there) it was decided to transfer the vast majority of the aircraft down by road, this would save around $4,000 per unit.
A retired U.S. Navy North American SNJ-5B Texan (BuNo 51726) pictured in the boneyard at Naval Air Facility Litchfield, Park, Arizona (USA). This aircraft Source: Robert L. Lawson Photograph Collection, National Museum of Naval Aviation.
A retired U.S. Navy North American AJ-2 Savage (BuNo 134062) pictured in the boneyard at Naval Air Facility Litchfield, Park, Arizona (USA). This aircraft was struck off charge from the Navy inventory on 18-DEC-1959. Source: Robert L. Lawson Photograph Collection, National Museum of Naval Aviation.
A retired U.S. Navy North American FJ-3 Fury (BuNo 135883) pictured in the boneyard at Naval Air Facility Litchfield, Park, Arizona (USA). Before retirement it was assigned to VMF-333 based at MCAS Beaufort, SC. This aircraft is now on display at the USS Midway Museum, San Diego, CA. Source: Robert L. Lawson Photograph Collection, National Museum of Naval Aviation.
During 1965 a steady stream of other aircraft left the naval facility, while many more were scrapped or transferred to other locations and units. It took nearly two over years to complete aircraft removal, with the last 3 aircraft, an F-6A Skyray, LP-2J Neptune and HU-16C Albatross, leaving the facility during May 1967. For many of the aircraft their stay at MASDC would be a short one as within one year nearly one half of them would depart to U.S Navy yards around the U.S.
To the right of this page, under the "NAF Litchfield park Inventory Summary" heading can be found links to pages detailing numbers of U.S. Navy aircraft at NAF Litchfield Park and MASDC during the period of the transfer between facilities. The aircraft numbers listed in the summaries are split between different U.S. Navy aircraft status classifications which were in use at the time. A decode of these status classifications are listed on another page which can be accessed from a seperate link on the right. This link is also available from the inventory summary pages.
Following the closure of NAF Litchfield Park, the City of Phoenix purchased the 789-acre site for $550,000 and converted it into a general aviation reliever airport (now Phoenix Goodyear Airport, KGYR), which continues today with roles in maintenance, training, and commercial aircraft storage.
1964 - 1969
Foreign Military Sales
During the MASDC years hundreds of aircraft were supplied to friendly nations under the Military Assistance Program. Below are some of the more notable transfers of aircraft which were drawn from storage and regenerated for re-introduction back into service. Many other MAP supplied aircraft were drawn direct from operational and from aircraft manufacturers. Our database details the receiving country of regenerated aircraft where known, dispositions will be updated when more details come to light.
- McDonnell Douglas F-101B Voodoos to the Royal Canadian Air Force.
- Republic of China (Taiwan) Air Force was a large receiver of MAP aircraft, including Lockheed F-104 Starfighters supplied in 196???, F-100 Super Sabres in 1970, T-33A in 1975
- Numerous Lockheed T-33A Shooting Stars were supplied to Brazil, Greece
- In 1964 and 1965 North American T-28As were regenerated and converted to T-28Ds by North American in Columbus, OH. These were supplied to Laos and Thailand. Later on in the early 1970s more were supplied to the Khmer Air Force.
For more information on the Military Assistance Program (MAP) you can visit our Military Assistance Program page.
Major Retirements
Between 1965 and 1985 a large number of major aircraft types were retired completely from US military service, while some other major types were dramatically reduced leaving only small numbers surviving into the 1980s. The complete retirements were usually followed by the rapid disposal by scarpping of vast numbers of the types, however, some aircraft that could be useful to foreign military forces or civilian customers faired better. Below is a summary of the no
- Boeing B-47 Stratojet
- Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter
- Convair B-58 Hustler. Fleet retired between November 1969 and January 1970 with 80 aircraft retired to MASDC. Most aircraft were scrapped between May and August 1970, with only 2 being saved by museums.
- Douglas C-133 Cargomaster. Fleet retired between January and August 1971 due to the introduction of the Lockheed C-5A Galaxy, with 33 aircraft arriving at MASDC. All aircraft were declared as excess almost immediately and the majority scrapped by the end of 1974. Serveral were purchased by civilian customers and one went to Pima Air and Space Museum.
- Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar
- Lockheed C-121 Constellation
- Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star. Over 1,100 had arrived at MASDC by the end of the 1970s. A large number were purchased or supplied to foreign air forces around the world including Brazil, Colombia, Greece, Guatemala, Republic of China (Taiwan), Philippines. A large number of them were re-generated and returned to service with units who operated them until the late 1980s.
- Douglas C-124 Globemaster. This type was retired gradually from January 1969 to September 1974 due to the introduction of the Lockheed C-5A Galaxy, with over 350 aircraft arriving at MASDC. Like the C-133s the C-124s were declared excess after only a short time in storage and the vast majority scrapped on site. One escaped scrapping at Pima Air and Space Museum, another left for USAF Museum, Wright Patterson AFB, OH. and a couple were returned to service in 1972.
1970 - 1985
Vietnam War
During the 1960s and into the early 1970s The Vietnam War provided a lot of work for the men and women at MASDC.
- The regeneration of surplus US Navy A-1 Skyraiders back into Air Force service by the Naval Air Rework Facility, NAS Quonset Point, RI. and McClellan AFB, CA.
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>> Aerospace Maintenance & Regeneration Center (AMARC)