BAC Strikemaster The BAC 167 Strikemaster is a British jet-powered training and BAC 167 Strikemaster light attack aircraft. It was a development of the Hunting Jet Provost trainer, itself a jet engined version of the Percival Provost, which originally flew in 1950 with a radial piston engine. Contents Design and development Operational history Variants Production BAC 167 Strikemaster Mk 82A in Sultan of Operators Oman's Air Force colour scheme at the 2013 Specifications (Strikemaster Mk 88) Shoreham Airshow See also Role Attack aircraft, Jet trainer References Manufacturer British Aircraft Corporation External links First flight 26 October 1967 Retired 1993[1] Design and development Status retired The BAC 167 Strikemaster is essentially an armed version of the Primary users Saudi Arabia Jet Provost T Mk 5; the Strikemaster was modified with an uprated Ecuador engine, wing hardpoints capable of carrying 4 500 pound Mk82 Kenya Air Force bombs, two machine guns under the intakes, uprated flap system Royal New Zealand Air Force with two jacks, larger airbrake jacks, new communication and Royal Air Force of Oman navigation gear, different electrical system, canopy breakers on the Produced 1967–1984 ejection seats, and a revised fuel system including tip tanks on the Number built 146 wing tips.[2] First flown in 1967, the aircraft was marketed as a light attack or counter-insurgency aircraft, but most large-scale Developed from BAC Jet Provost purchasers were air forces wanting an advanced trainer, although Ecuador, Oman and Yemen have used their aircraft in combat. A total of 146 were built. Operational history The Strikemaster was capable of operating from rough air strips, with dual ejection seats suitable even for low-altitude escape, and it was therefore widely used by third-world nations. Operations by the type were restricted by most military users after the Royal New Zealand Air Force found fatigue cracking in the wings of its aircraft. Many aircraft retired by Botswana, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and Singapore have found their way into museums and private collections. The Strikemaster was deployed by the Royal Air Force of Oman on several occasions during the Dhofar Rebellion, including a notable appearance providing Close Air Support during the Battle of Mirbat. Three Strikemasters were shot down over the course of the war, including one lost to an SA-7 missile. The Ecuadorian Air Force deployed the Strikemaster during the brief 1995 Cenepa War, flying ground sorties against Peruvian positions. An Ecuadorian Strikemaster crashed during a training mission in the Northern Border area, near Colombia, on 25 March 2009. Both pilots ejected; one later died of injuries received during the rescue attempt.[3] Variants Strikemaster Mk 80 : Export version for Saudi Arabia, 25 aircraft. Strikemaster Mk 80A: 20 aircraft were sold to Saudi Arabia as part of a follow-up order. Strikemaster Mk 81 : Export version for South Yemen, four aircraft. Strikemaster Mk 82 : Export version for Oman, 12 aircraft. Strikemaster Mk 82A: 12 aircraft were sold to Oman as part of a follow-up order. Strikemaster Mk 83 : Export version for Kuwait, 12 aircraft. Strikemaster Mk 84 : Export version for Singapore, 16 aircraft. Strikemaster Mk 87 : Export version for Kenya, six aircraft. Strikemaster Mk 88 : Export version for New Zealand, 16 aircraft. Photographed 14 years after it was retired, this BAC Strikemaster still Strikemaster Mk 89 : Export version for Ecuador, 22 aircraft. wears the colours of No. 14 Strikemaster Mk 89A: A number of aircraft were sold to Ecuador as part of a follow-up order. Squadron RNZAF. Strikemaster Mk 90 : Export version for Sudan. The last Strikemaster was delivered to Sudan in 1984. Production Strikemaster 80: 136 Strikemaster 90: 10 Operators The four BAC Strikemasters of the Botswana UK aerobatics display team Team Viper at Cotswold Airport, Botswana Defence Force Air Wing operated briefly ex-Kuwaiti Mk Gloucestershire, England 83s and ex-Kenyan Mk 87s.(decommissioned from the BDF) Ecuador Ecuadorian Air Force received BAC Strikemaster Mk 89/89A aircraft. Kenya Kenya Air Force received BAC Strikemaster Mk 87 aircraft. Kuwait Kuwait Air Force received BAC Strikemaster Mk 83 aircraft. One of Botswana's Strikemasters New Zealand Royal New Zealand Air Force No. 14 Squadron RNZAF received 16 BAC Strikemaster Mk 88 aircraft. Strikemaster Ltd operates two ex-RNZAF BAC Strikemaster Mk 88 aircraft. Oman Royal Air Force of Oman received BAC Strikemaster Mk 82/82A aircraft. Saudi Arabia Royal Saudi Air Force received BAC Strikemaster Mk 80/80A aircraft. Singapore Republic of Singapore Air Force received BAC Strikemaster Mk 84 aircraft, all retired in 1984. South Yemen South Yemen Air Force received BAC Strikemaster Mk 81 aircraft. Sudan RNZAF Strikemasters in 1984 Sudanese Air Force received BAC Strikemaster Mk 90 aircraft. Specifications (Strikemaster Mk 88) Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976–77[4] General characteristics Crew: 2 1 Length: 33 ft 8 ⁄2 in (10.274 m) Wingspan: 36 ft 10 in (11.23 m) 1 Height: 10 ft 11 ⁄2 in (3.340 m) Wing area: 213.7 sq ft (19.85 m2) Airfoil: NACA 23015 (modified) at root, NACA 4412 (modified) at tip BAC Strikemaster, Shoreham Empty weight: 6,195 lb (2,810 kg) Airshow 2014 Gross weight: 9,303 lb (4,220 kg) (pilot training) Max takeoff weight: 11,500 lb (5,216 kg) Fuel capacity: 366 imp gal (440 US gal; 1,660 L) total (including tip tanks) Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Viper Mk.535 turbojet, 3,140 lbf (14.0 kN) thrust Performance Maximum speed: 481 mph (774 km/h; 418 kn) at 18,000 ft (5,500 m) Stall speed: 98 mph (158 km/h; 85 kn) (flaps down) Never exceed speed: 518 mph (834 km/h; 450 kn) Range: 3,182 mi (2,765 nmi; 5,121 km) Combat range: 145 mi (126 nmi; 233 km) (combat radius: with 3,000 lb (1,400 kg) weapons, lo-lo-lo profile) Service ceiling: 40,000 ft (12,000 m) Rate of climb: 5,250 ft/min (26.7 m/s) Armament Guns: 2× 7.62 mm machine guns with 550 rounds each Hardpoints: 4 (2 per wing) with a capacity of 3,000 lb (1,364 kg) of bombs, machine gun pods, air-to-ground rocket pods, fuel drop tanks, and napalm tanks., See also Related development BAC Jet Provost Percival Provost Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era Aermacchi MB 326 Aero L-39 Albatros (specifically Z-versions) Cessna A-37 Dragonfly Canadair CL-41G Tebuan Related lists List of attack aircraft References Notes 1. Images, Skytamer. "BAC Jet Provost T.Mk.5A British two-seat jet-trainer" (https://www.skytamer.com/British_Aircr aft_Jet_Provost_T.5A.html). www.skytamer.com. 2. "BAC Strikemaster Strike Aircraft (1967) (http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=877)" page 2 (http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail-page-2.asp?aircraft_id=877) MilitaryFactory, 7/2/2014 3. "Ejected Pilot Survives Crash, Dies During Rescue Accident." (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,510740,00. html) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20090328051808/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,510740,00.h tml) 28 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine foxnews.com, 26 March 2009. Retrieved: 26 April 2012. 4. Taylor 1976, pp. 172–173. Bibliography Taylor, John W.R. "Hunting Jet Provost and BAC 167." Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the present. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-425-03633-2. Taylor, John W. R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976–77. London: Jane's Yearbooks, 1976. ISBN 0-354-00538- 3. External links RNZAF Museum Strikemaster page (https://web.archive.org/web/20061008144338/http://www.airforcemuseum.c o.nz/main/BAE167Strikemaster/) ABC Australia News (https://web.archive.org/web/20071209195036/http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/2006 10/s1759620.htm) BAC 167 Strikemaster (http://www.warbirdalley.com/strike.htm) Blue Air Training LLC (http://www.blueairtraining.com) Strikemaster Ltd (http://www.jetfighter.co.nz/index.php) Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=BAC_Strikemaster&oldid=906876599" This page was last edited on 18 July 2019, at 21:36 (UTC). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization..