Two of only 17 Dornier C-146A Wolfhounds built, went up on GSA auction within a month of each other.
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Welcome back to The AEROSINT Two AFSOC C-146A Wolfhounds left the fleet this summer on public GSA auctions. 16-3025 was written off after inspectors found pitting corrosion on its skin mid-repaint in Germany, cleared for a ferry flight home but not for repair. It sold for $1,600,107. The other auctioned wolfhound, 95-3058, was current on every inspection. It sold for $300,001. The C-146A is the militarized version of the Dornier 328, a commuter turboprop Fairchild Dornier built during 1980s until the 2000s when financial issues ended production. The fleet is small at less than 20 aircraft, yet they provide crucial capabilities and options for SOF when operating in locations with minimal infrastructure. All were acquired secondhand. Sierra Nevada Corporation and 328 Support Services acquired and converted each aircraft. Once delivered AFSOC became largest operator of the Dornier 328. Starting this year, they are getting rid of them. On Our Radar1. C-146A - 11-3013 - AE6E80 (Big Safari): Previously registered to Big Safari as N645HM, now flying as “Cougar,” a SOCOM research and development testbed based out of Centennial Airport (KAPA). 2. C-146A - 16-3025 - AE68C0 (N250BG - A2579E): GSA lot 4-1-QSC-I-26-241-001. Auction opened 2026-07-08, closed 2026-07-22. 3. C-146A - 95-3058 - AE68E0 (N570EF - A74ED3): GSA lot 4-1-QSC-I-26-422-001. Auction opened 2026-07-30, closed 2026-08-13, last flight 2026-04-28. 16-302516-3025 is 32 years old as of 2026. 
Before AFSOC, this airframe operated as a regional-airliner registered N328LS.
Air Wisconsin withdrew it from use in March 2003, and it sat stored for the next eleven years. Wilmington Trust Company acquired the title in November 2012 shortly before the airframe crossed to German registration as D-CAAO under with 328 Support Services the next month. Sierra Nevada Corporation acquired it as N250BG in December 2016, and it entered AFSOC service as 16-3025 in March 2017. 95-305895-3058 is 31 years old as of 2026. 
SNC acquired it in January 2011, registered it N570EF, and ferried it from Oberpfaffenhofen to Centennial Airportby way of Glasgow, Reykjavik, Narsarsuaq, Goose Bay, and Thunder Bay, before it entered AFSOC service as 95-3058 that March. Auctions
3025 had 4 bids: $211,100, then $910,300, then $1,550,208, then the winning bid of $1.6m. The last three bids were placed inside the closing window on 2026-07-22.
95-3058 closed at $300,001 with one bid. Buyers fought over the grounded aircraft, while the flying had no competition. 3025, the grounded and more expensive of the two, shows 22,527 TTAF and 22,426 cycles at auction. 3058, flying and a fifth of the price, shows 39,932 TTAF and 38,555 cycles: nearly 17,400 more airframe hours and 16,100 more cycles. C-146A ReplacementSOCOM is already looking for what comes next. TWZ’s Joseph Trevithick reported that Program Executive Office for Fixed Wing confirmed the C-146A fleet will be divested on a schedule. SOCOM has also requested $55 million in FY2027 to source 3 aircraft intended to serve as replacements for the Wolfhounds. Just yesterday the 352nd Special Operations Wing posted to their instagram about the farewell of their C-146A: 
This is the same unit that The Aviationist reported having received their Wolfhound in 2024. In that article, Greet wrote:
This is still true, both 3058 and 3025 have valid N-numbers in the FAA database.
The Wolfhound’s FutureThis marks the beginning of the end for the Wolfhound’s military service. However, they make a great special mission platform, there is no doubt that specialized operators will acquires these aircraft as they are divested.
ICYMIApplied Information Services thanks you for assisting in our Information Support Operations. Analysis is derived from publicly available, open-source information only. Content is interpretive and provided for informational purposes; it does not constitute legal, operational, or financial advice. [EPH612]
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