A dozen brand new-cargo planes ordered by the US Air Force are being delivered to a storage unit in the Arizona desert because the military has no use for the jets, according to a report.
The spanking-new C-27J Spartans from Ohio went right from the assembly line to the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, also known as the “aircraft boneyard,” according to an investigation by the Dayton Daily News.
Five more of the Spartan planes are expected to be built by next spring — and they, too, are headed straight to the “boneyard” unless another use for them is found, the paper said.
In total, the Air Force has spent $567 million on 21 C-27J aircraft since 2007.
Of the 16 which have been delivered, almost all of them were sent to the boneyard, which houses a treasure trove of government waste worth billions.
The desert complex near Tucson is home to more than 4,400 unused aircraft and aerospace vehicles from all branches of the military and NASA, with a total value of more than $35 billion, the Dayton Daily News said.
At least the boneyard still serves as a great tourist attraction.
The Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson offers exclusive bus tours of the unused aircraft for just $7 per adult and $4 per child.