| 185th Aviation Brigade | |
|---|---|
 185th Aviation Brigade shoulder sleeve insignia | |
| Active | September 2006 – present |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance | United States Army |
| Branch | Mississippi Army National Guard |
| Type | Aviationbrigade |
| Role | combat aviation |
| Size | Brigade |
| Insignia | |
| Distinctive Unit Insignia |  |
The185th Aviation Brigade is anaviationbrigade of theUnited States Army. It is a unit of theMississippi Army National Guard with units throughout the state ofMississippi.
US Army Aviation units were first organized in Mississippi in 1948 to supportartillery units in the northern part of the state andHattiesburg. These aviation units were located atGrenada Airport 100 miles north ofJackson, Mississippi, the state capitol. In January 1951, all army aviation units in Mississippi were ordered toactive duty and sent toFort Jackson, South Carolina. Six of the original ten aviators saw combat duty in theKorean 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 atHawkins Field in Jackson. Mississippi received its first helicopters, twoBell 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 separatecompanies in 1959 and continued until 1968. During this time full-time maintenance support facilities were opened inTupelo andMeridian.
The state’s firstbattalion 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’sCH-54 Sky Cranes being replaced by twin-rotorCH-47 Chinook medium lift helicopters. In 1994 the mission of Company C, 1–185th Aviation in Tupelo was changed to armed aerial assault using theOH-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 agingUH-1Hs with theUH-60 Blackhawk.
On 1 October 1999, Company H was reformed as Company D, 1–159th Aviation based atFort Bragg, North Carolina. They are one of the first reserve component units in the nation to be part of an active component aviation battalion. The company is still located inTupelo, Mississippi.
Aviation assets under the 185th that are presently located in Mississippi are:[1]
Headquarters, 185th Aviation Group was deployed toIraq and stationed atBalad, Iraq forOperation Iraqi Freedom-II from January 2004 to December 2004. The 185th served as the aviation group for the entire theatre and controlled all aviation assets in the country of Iraq during their deployment. The 185th returned on 24 December 2004.
In September 2006 the 185th Aviation Group was redesignated as the 185th Aviation Brigade (Theater). It has since changed back.
In November 2010, 1st Battalion, 185th Aviation Regiment was again mobilized to serve in support of Operation New Dawn. Deploying to Iraq in January 2011, the Battalion served as the primary Aviation assets in Northern Iraq, based out ofCamp Speicher near Tikrit. Company A was stationed atCamp Taji and served as the direct asset to the 25th Infantry Division at Camp Liberty in Baghdad. The 1–185th returned to the United States in November 2011.[2]