181st Airlift Squadron

    The 181st Airlift Squadron traces is heritage back to the 395th Fighter Squadron of World War II.  The 395th was P-47 unit that participated in the Allied air effort to blunt ground forces of the Third Reich during the Battle of the Bulge.  The 395th FS was inactivated on 20 August, 1946 and the squadron re-allocated to the National Guard the next day as the 181st Fighter Squadron Texas National Guard.  Initially equiped with P-51D aircraft the new unit started transition the F-84B aircraft in 1950.  Whether or not this conversion was completed is not well recorded and in any case P-51H Mustangs became the mission aircraft in 1951.  In late 1954 conversion to F-80Cs began which were operated from 1955 until 1957.  During that time period the unit became the 181st Fighter Interceptor Squadron as it and the 136th wing came under the control of the Aerospace Defense Command.   When the F-80s left the F-86D became the 181st's mount until replaced by F-86Ls in 1959.  In late 1965 the designation changed to the 181st Air Refueling Squadron and KC-97Gs replaced the Sabres.  The next year the KC-97L replaced the G, staying until 1978 when C-130Bs brought a new designation and mission.  With the arrival of the Hercules the unit became the 181st Tactical Airlift Squadron.  In 1986 the elderly C-130B was replaced with the current (2015) C-130H.  In 1992 the designation became the 181st Airlift Squadron.

    The 181st was based at Dallas Love Field when formed.  In 1978 when the KC-97s came into the fleet the 181st moved to Naval Air Station Dallas and remained there until that base close in 1998.  The 181st AS is currently based at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, which is a new name for the former Carswell AFB.


KC-97L 53-0283 Texas Air National Guard KC-97L 53-0283 as a resterant in Colorado Springs, CO KC-97L 53-0298 Texas Air National Guard at MASDC 1978

Former Texas ANG KC97L 53-0283 on display at the Southwest Aerospace Museum in Fort Worth, TX..  Unfortunately this museum closed during the 1990s and a new home was needed for the aircraft on display.  The B-52D on display was scrapped, but 283 found a new home as part of Solo's Restaurant in Colorado Springs, CO.    The second phot shows her on display there in 2008.

KC-97L 53-0298 in storage at MASDC (Davis-Monthan) in December, 1978.  At that time she had probably only been in storage for a few months.


KC-97L 53-0360 at MASDC



53-0360 and 53-0363 in storage during the early 1980s.  These aircraft remained until the late 80s when they and all the other KC-97s in storage were scrapped.
C-130B 58-034 of the 181st TAS Texas ANG at El Paso in September, 1979
 C-130B 58-0742
 C-130B 58-0742



C-130B 58-0734 at El Paso International Airport in September, 1979.  Marking consist of a MAC band on the tail and the words "TEXAS AIR NATIONAL GUARD" on the sponsons below the wings.

58-0742 at ELP during July, 1979 and at Ellington AFB in May, 1983.  By this time a Texas flag was added to the nose under the windscreen.












                                                                                                                                                                                                  Clifford Bossie

                                                                                                                                                                                                 Page Created 01-07-02

                                                                                                                                                                                                 Page Modified 04-07-15