185th Aviation Brigade (United States)

185th Aviation Brigade (Theater)
185th Aviation Brigade shoulder sleeve insignia
Active	September 2006 – present
Country	United States
Allegiance	United States Army
Branch	Mississippi Army National Guard
Type	Aviation brigade
Role	combat aviation
Size	Brigade
Insignia
Distinctive Unit Insignia

The 185th Aviation Brigade (Theater) is an aviation brigade of the United States Army. It is a unit of the Mississippi Army National Guard with units throughout the state of Mississippi.

US Army Aviation units were first organized in Mississippi in 1948 to support artillery units in the northern part of the state and Hattiesburg. These aviation units were located at Grenada Airport 100 miles north of Jackson, Mississippi, the state capitol. In January 1951, all army aviation units in Mississippi were ordered to active duty and sent to Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Six of the original ten aviators saw combat duty in the Korean War. The Grenada facility was closed during this time leaving no active army aviation programs in Mississippi.

In early 1953, the Mississippi Aviation program was reorganized at Hawkins Field in Jackson. Mississippi received its first helicopters, two Bell OH-13s, in 1954. By 1958, the program had expanded to include a total of 40 aviators.

The Mississippi Army Aviation program began operations as separate companies in 1959 and continued until 1968. During this time full-time maintenance support facilities were opened in Tupelo and Meridian.

The state’s first battalion sized aviation unit, the 131st Aviation Battalion, was formed on 15 February 1968. The 131st was in service until 1986 when it was restructured to become an aviation group. In 1987, the 131st Aviation Group was redesignated as the 185th Aviation Group.

In 1992, Company E, 185th Aviation in Meridian was redesignated Company G. This resulted in the company’s CH-54 Sky Cranes being replaced by twin-rotor CH-47 Chinook medium lift helicopters. In 1994 the mission of Company C, 1–185th Aviation in Tupelo was changed to armed aerial assault using the OH-58D/I Kiowa Warrior. Company C was then redesignated Company H, 185th Aviation. During 1996 Companies C and D, 1–185th Aviation in Jackson replaced their aging UH-1Hs with the UH-60 Blackhawk.