 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (January 2013) |
| Military Air Transport Service | |
|---|---|
 Military Air Transport Service emblem | |
| Active | 1948–1966 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch | Department of Defense Unified Command |
| Type | Major Command |
| Role | Strategic Airlift |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Transport | C-141A Starlifter C-130 Hercules C-135 Stratolifter] C-133 Cargomaster C-124 Globemaster C-121 Super Constellation C-54 Skymaster C-47 Skytrain RC-130 Hercules |
The Military Air Transport Service (MATS) is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy's Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) and the United States Air Force's Air Transport Command (ATC) into a single joint command. It was inactivated and discontinued on 8 January 1966, superseded by the Air Force's Military Airlift Command (MAC) as a separate strategic airlift command, and it returned shore-based Navy cargo aircraft to Navy control as operational support airlift (OSA) aircraft.
In 1966, the World War II Air Transport Command (ATC) (1942–1948) and the Military Air Transport Service were consolidated with Military Airlift Command (MAC) (1966–1992).