| BAC 167 Strikemaster | |
|---|---|
| Privately owned BAC 167 Strikemaster Mk 87 | |
| Role | Attack aircraft |
| Manufacturer | British Aircraft Corporation |
| First flight | 1967 |
| Status | In service with Ecuador although many in museums and private collections. |
| Primary users | Saudi Arabia Ecuador Kenya Air Force Royal New Zealand Air Force |
| Produced | 1967-1984 |
| Number built | 146 |
| Developed from | BAC Jet Provost |
The BAC 167 Strikemaster is a British jet-powered training and 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.
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The BAC 167 Strikemaster is essentially an armed version of the Jet Provost T Mk 5; the Strikemaster was modified with an up-rated engine, wing hardpoints, a strengthened airframe, new communication and navigation gear, up-rated ejection seats, a revised fuel system, and shortened landing gear. First flown in 1967, the aircraft was marketed as a light attack or counter-insurgency aircraft, but most large scale 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.
Capable of operating from rough air strips, with dual ejection seats suitable even for low-altitude escape, it was widely used by third-world nations. Use of the type was restricted by most users after the Royal New Zealand Air Force found fatigue cracking in the wings of its aircraft. Aircraft retired by Botswana, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and Singapore have found their way into museums and private collections.
Approximately eleven privately-owned Strikemasters are still flying.
The Strikemaster was deployed by the Royal Air Force of Oman on several occasions during the Dhofar Rebellion, including a notable appearance at the Battle of Mirbat.
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 [1].
In 2009 a new UK-based display team named "Team Viper" after the Viper engine used in the Strikemaster began displaying at air shows with a fleet of Strikemasters. They fly formation aerobatics including high speed opposition manoeuvres and some solo work.[2]
On 5 October 2006 a BAC 167 Strikemaster aircraft, registered VH-AKY, took off from Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia for a 25-minute adventure flight with one passenger. The flight was to include high level aerobatics and a low level simulated strike routine. Two persons were killed when the aircraft broke up in the air 20 km north east of Bathurst. Separation of the right wing was precipitated by pre-existing fatigue cracking in the right wing upper main spar attachment lug.[3]
A BAC Strikemaster crashed into the Hudson River several hundred yards north of the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge near Kingston, NY at approximately 1330 hours EST on 26 February 2011 while making a low-pass at the pilot's home airport en route to the Columbia County Airport in Ghent, NY. The plane originated its flight in Nashville, TN area with a fuel stop in Johnstown, PA. [4]
Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976–77[5]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
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