<story><title>Why Retired Aircraft are Stored in the Desert</title><url>http://murderousmusings.blogspot.com/2010/05/bone-yard.html</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>asymptotic</author><text>I&apos;m surprised noone&apos;s pointed out the obvious - the US have obligations under stategic nuclear arms reduction treaties such as START I that compel the US to chop up B-52s, put the parts in the desert, and leave them there long enough to allow the Russians time to use satellite imagery to confirm they&apos;ve been chopped up.&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/START_I&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/START_I&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;365 B-52Gs were flown to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. The bombers were stripped of all usable parts, then chopped into five pieces by a 13,000-pound steel blade dropped from a crane. The guillotine sliced four times on each plane, severing the wings and leaving the fuselage in three pieces. The ruined B-52s remained in place for three months so that Russian satellites could confirm that the bombers had been destroyed, after which they were sold for scrap.&quot;</text></comment>
<story><title>Why Retired Aircraft are Stored in the Desert</title><url>http://murderousmusings.blogspot.com/2010/05/bone-yard.html</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>davidw</author><text>Because dry, warm climates preserve many things well, including airplanes, evidently.  Next...</text></comment>