183d Air Transport Squadron

183d Airlift Squadron
C-17 Globemaster III from the 183d Airlift Squadron
Active	July 1, 1953 – present
Country	United States
Allegiance	Mississippi
Branch	Air National Guard
Type	Squadron
Role	Airlift
Part of	Mississippi Air National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Allen C. Thompson ANGB Field, Jackson, Mississippi
Nickname(s)	Flying Jumbos
Tail Code	Blue tail stripe, "Mississippi" in yellow letters
Decorations	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Insignia
183rd Airlift Squadron emblem

The 183d Airlift Squadron is a unit of the 172d Airlift Wing of the Mississippi Air National Guard stationed at Allen C. Thompson Field Air National Guard Base, Mississippi. The squadron is equipped with the C-17 Globemaster III.

The 183d was organized in 1953 as a reconnaissance unit, but converted to the airlift role in 1957. It was called to federal service during the first Gulf War.

The squadron was constituted as the 183d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron in 1953 and allotted to the Air National Guard. It was organized at Hawkins Field, Mississippi and extended federal recognition on 1 July 1953. The squadron was assigned to the 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, of the Alabama Air National Guard, but operational control was exercised by the Mississippi Air National Guard.

The 183d was initially equipped with World War II-era Douglas RB-26C Invader night photographic reconnaissance aircraft. The black RB-26s were light bombers that were modified for aerial reconnaissance in the late 1940s. Most of the aircraft received were unarmed Korean War veterans, which carried cameras and flash flares for night aerial photography. Upon mobilization, the squadron would be gained by Tactical Air Command (TAC).