On Dec. 4, 2024, C-146A Wolfhound 10-3077 arrived at RAF Mildenhall to begin a new permanently deployed presence in the European theatre.
It will join MC-130J Commando II and CV-22B Osprey aircraft operated from RAF Mildenhall by the 352nd Special Operations Wing (SOW). The Wolfhound will provide the unit with an increased capability for operations across Europe, including the ability to facilitate personnel movements, medical evacuations, emergency airlift, and disaster relief to established airfields and austere landing strips.
Though based at RAF Mildenhall alongside U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) personnel, the 352nd SOW operates outside of the USAFE umbrella and reports directly to the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). AFSOC is a major command (MAJCOM) at the same level as USAFE as well as other service organisations like the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC), Air Mobility Command (AMC), and Air Combat Command (ACC). This means the force is subordinate within the USAF only to HQ USAF, which is based at the Pentagon. AFSOC is also a component force of the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) unified combatant command.
352nd SOW’s aircraft regularly get called into action to support operations across a wide expanse of the globe, either through forward deployments or long range sorties assisted by air to air refueling. In 2020, MC-130s and CV-22s were supported by an AC-130J, as well as KC-135Rs of Mildenhall’s 100th Air Refueling Wing (ARW), to successfully rescue American hostage Philip Walton who had been kidnapped on the Niger-Nigeria border. The extensive long range capabilities offered by the unit have even been called on to assist civilian search and rescue efforts in the United Kingdom, such as the rescue of two injured yachtsmen around 450 miles from the nearest UK coast in 2002.
The addition of the C-146A Wolfhound to the wing’s arsenal allows a more discreet and flexible option for ‘lower-end’ operations within Europe which do not require all of the advanced capabilities provided by their primary aircraft. Painted in civilian-esque colour schemes, C-146As – based on the Dornier 326 regional airliner – are a familiar sight transiting through a number of civil airfields and unlike MC-130Js are able to go about their work without attracting too much attention. This does not detract from their utility, with room for 27 passengers of 6000lbs of cargo, being able to operate from rough field airstrips, and offering an impressive short take-off and landing (STOL) capability.
Officially, twenty Wolfhounds presently serve with AFSOC and they can be seen performing operations all around the world. Unofficially, at least twenty one C-146A registrations have been noted by spotters. It’s currently unknown whether other SOWs within AFSOC, such as the 353rd SOW at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, will also receive detached C-146As.
No time has been spared since the arrival of Mildenhall’s new aircraft, having already completed a number of local sorties. More familiarisation flights are sure to follow. It is unknown whether the Wolfhound will have its own dedicated crews deployed alongside, or whether it will in time be operated by the same crews as the MC-130Js already on strength. If the latter, the aircraft will offer an excellent opportunity for use supporting pilot currency training, freeing up the valuable ‘frontline’ aircraft for operational use and preserving their airframe hours.
On Dec. 10 the aircraft departed RAF Mildenhall with the callsign WOLFHOUND 11 on a flight to RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset. This is the first time an example of the type has visited the base. The callsign bearing the name of the aircraft likely indicates a non-operational training sortie. Following a number of circuits using Yeovilton’s secondary 4,800ft runway, WOLFHOUND 11 departed back to RAF Mildenhall. Such flight patterns are already commonly seen with the MC-130Js – in fact, MC-130Js from Mildenhall visited Yeovilton for circuit work on Dec. 9 and Dec. 10. This will most likely be reflected with the new aircraft type and become quite a regular sight in the logbooks of many UK aviation enthusiasts.
The Dornier 328
All of the USAF’s Wolfhounds are second hand aircraft acquired from the civilian market. While by no means a ubiquitous aircraft, the Dornier 328’s efficient performance and STOL performance sees it serve a niche market in the airline industry well. 107 aircraft were built between 1991 and 2000, when production of the original model ceased. A jet powered variant, the 328JET, saw a further 110 aircraft produced between 1996 and 2002.
Previously both the turboprop and turbofan versions of the 328 were popular with American airlines, flying under the banner at various times of Air Wisconsin, Lone Star Airlines, Horizon Airlines, Vision Airlines, and others. Key Lime Air and Ultimate Jet still operate the 328JET for charter and limited scheduled flights in the U.S. The aircraft is now more predominantly seen in civilian service in Europe, where German charter operator Private Wings fly 9 turboprop 328s, and Sun-Air of Scandinavia use a number of 328JETs, including some on behalf of British Airways.
Notably, the 328JET is one of only a handful of jet-powered airliners specifically certified to operate to and from London City Airport. Due to its short runway and location in East London, a stone’s throw from the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf, London City applies strict performance and noise requirements on all scheduled passenger traffic. Arriving aircraft must fly a special 5.5 degree steep approach path to land at the airport, while usual arrivals at airports would usually make an approach closer to 3 degrees.
10-3077, the airframe now based at RAF Mildenhall, was constructed in 1996. The 3077 at the end of the aircraft’s U.S. military serial number is also the manufacturer assigned construction number for the airframe. It spent a year on the Ecuadorian register as HC-BXP before returning to Germany and assuming the identity D-CHIC. After a summer lease, the aircraft was again transferred to a new registration, now becoming N328CP on the U.S. register. Two years later, N328CP was ferried to Switzerland and became HB-AEJ and flying with Air Engiadini, later Swisswings. This airline folded in 2002, and the next airline to take on the airframe was Cirrus Airlines in Germany, registering it as D-CIRA. Cirrus Airlines lasted until Jan. 2012, but D-CIRA was re-registered to N577EF by Dec. 2011 when it was purchased by Sierra Nevada Corporation.
A number of the USAF’s Wolfhounds came via Cirrus Airlines, Sierra Nevada Corporation being the company chosen to convert the aircraft to military use. Interestingly, while the aircraft is serialled with the U.S. military, its last civilian registration is still active according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The listed owner for the aircraft is the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command, and it is classified as experimental, a category used primarily for home-constructed aircraft but also used for prototypes and special-use aircraft like the Stratolaunch.
It is possible that this civilian registration might be used for certain paperwork purposes when arranging for overflight and landing permissions in foreign locations, as the requirements for civilian operations compared to military operations can be significantly different.
A replacement for the C-146A has been discussed, with the airframes’ second hand nature betraying their more modern-looking serial numbers, but no firm decisions appear to have been made and no retirement plans have been announced. With many Dornier 328s having been withdrawn from civilian service, there is likely a good supply of spare parts, and there are even plans for a new variant to be constructed and enter into service from 2027, reviving the type’s production.