BAC Strikemaster

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Light attack aircraft by the British Aircraft Company, later British Aerospace

title: "BAC Strikemaster" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["british-aircraft-corporation-aircraft", "1960s-british-attack-aircraft", "counter-insurgency-aircraft", "single-engined-jet-aircraft", "low-wing-aircraft", "aircraft-first-flown-in-1967", "aircraft-with-retractable-tricycle-landing-gear"] description: "Light attack aircraft by the British Aircraft Company, later British Aerospace" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAC_Strikemaster" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Light attack aircraft by the British Aircraft Company, later British Aerospace ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox aircraft"]

FieldValue
nameBAC 167 Strikemaster
imageShoreham Airshow 2013 (9696960681).jpg
captionBAC 167 Strikemaster Mk 82A in Sultan of Oman's Air Force colour scheme at the 2013 Shoreham Airshow
typeAttack aircraft, Jet trainer
manufacturerBritish Aircraft Corporation
first_flight26 October 1967
retired1993
statusRetired
primary_userRoyal Saudi Air Force
more_usersEcuadorian Air Force
Kenya Air Force
Royal New Zealand Air Force
produced1967–1983
number_built146
developed_fromBAC Jet Provost
::

|name=BAC 167 Strikemaster |image=Shoreham Airshow 2013 (9696960681).jpg |caption=BAC 167 Strikemaster Mk 82A in Sultan of Oman's Air Force colour scheme at the 2013 Shoreham Airshow |type= Attack aircraft, Jet trainer |manufacturer= British Aircraft Corporation |designer= |first_flight= 26 October 1967 |introduction= |retired= 1993 |status= Retired |primary_user= Royal Saudi Air Force |more_users= Ecuadorian Air Force Kenya Air Force Royal New Zealand Air Force |produced= 1967–1983 |number_built= 146 |unit cost= |developed_from= BAC Jet Provost |variants=

The BAC 167 Strikemaster is a jet-powered training and light attack aircraft designed and produced by the British Aircraft Corporation. 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 engine.

The Strikemaster is essentially an armed version of the Jet Provost T Mk 5. Various improvements and alterations were made to the aircraft, including an uprated Armstrong Siddeley Viper turbojet engine, wing hardpoints capable of carrying a wide variety of munitions, a pair of machine guns under the intakes, uprated flap system with two jacks, enlarged airbrake jacks, new communication and navigation gear, different electrical system, canopy breakers on the ejection seats, and a revised fuel system including tip tanks on the wing tips.

First flown in 1967, the aircraft was typically marketed as a light attack or counter-insurgency aircraft, however, the majority of customers were air forces seeking an advanced trainer. The Strikemaster did see combat on multiple occasions in the service of Ecuador, Oman and Yemen. A total of 146 aircraft were produced prior to the end of production in 1983. The type remains flying into the 2020s, albeit with increasing difficulty due to a decreasing supply of spare parts over time.

Design and development

During the 1950s, the Hunting Jet Provost had entered service as the Royal Air Force (RAF), becoming the first ab initio jet trainer to be standardised by any air service in the world. In the 1960s, the British Aircraft Corporation, which had acquired Hunting Percival, and therefore the Jet Provost, proceeded with the development of a counter-insurgency/light attack derivative of the type, which it designated as the BAC 167. By this point, it had become apparent that several of the competitions that the Jet Provost had been entered into had decided against the type due to its perceived lack of potential firepower.

It was powered by a single Armstrong Siddeley Viper turbojet, akin to the Jet Provost; however, this engine was uprated to produce up to 3,140 lb (14.0 kN) of thrust. The fuel system was also revised, incorporating conformal fuel tanks upon the wingtips along with the option to fit up to four 75-gallon underwing drop tanks, which extend the aircraft's endurance and effective combat radius when required. Furthermore, key areas of the airframe, such as the wings, were stressed to withstand the additional loads incurred by the carriage of a variety of munitions.

Up to 3000 lb of stores could be carried by the Strikemaster upon four hardpoints present underneath its wings. Underwing munitions could include up to four 500lb bombs, 24 SURA R80 rockets, eight 25lb practice bombs, eight 20lb fragmentation bombs, four 18-tube SNEB 68mm rocket pods, a pair of 0.5 inch mini-gun pods. In addition, a pair of 7.62mm FN machine guns were present within the lower intake lips while a G90 gun camera could be installed in the nose cone. A variety of gunsights could be provided for one or both of the crew.

The Strikemaster was outfitted with dual ejection seats that were suitable even for low-altitude escape. A key advantage of the type was its dual-role capability, being suitable for use in both the trainer and ground attack roles. Furthermore, the Strikemaster was capable of operating from relatively austere air strips; these attributes led to the type being widely used by numerous overseas nations as a relatively affordable combat aircraft.

On 26 October 1967, the first prototype performed its maiden flight from Warton Aerodrome; a total of two prototypes were produced for company trials. As the result of an internal competition, the aircraft was given the name Strikemaster, which received official endorsement in October 1968. Production of the type was initially centred at Warton; however, during the late 1970s, final assembly was transferred to Hurn Airport. Sales of the type slowed during the early 1980s, leading to discontinuation of production.

Operational history

During May 1966, Saudi Arabia became the first country to place an order for the type, opting for an initial batch of 25 Strikemaster Mk 80 aircraft as part of a wider air defence order. On 26 August 1968, the Saudi Arabian Air Force took delivery of its first examples; deliveries continued through to May 1978. In Saudi service, the Strikemaster was used in both the training and light attack roles.

Another key early customer for the Strikemaster was Oman, which ordered the type in 1967 and took delivery in the summer of 1969. On several occasions during the Dhofar Rebellion, the Royal Air Force of Oman conducted combat missions with the type, the earliest such strikes being reportedly conducted in October 1969. A particularly notable engagement occurred during July 1972, which has since been referred to as the Battle of Mirbat; a total of four Omani Strikemasters provided close air support to heavily outnumbered ground forces that were under attack by roughly 300 insurgents. Three Strikemasters were shot down over the course of the conflict, including one that was allegedly lost to an SA-7 surface-to-air missile.

During the early 1970s, the Kenyan Air Force introduced the Strikemaster as part of a wider modernisation programme. The Kenyan fleet often operated in close conjunction with its first combat jet fighter, the Hawker Hunter.

Following the creation of the Botswana Defence Force Air Wing in April 1977 amid escalating regional tensions, the service acquired nine refurbished Strikemasters formerly flown in Kenya and Kuwait. During the late 1990s, the type was withdrawn following their replacement by second hand Canadair CF-5s; most of the surviving aircraft were sold onto the private sector.

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.

The Strikemaster was also operated by several private enterprises, such as Blue Air Training and Global Aviation; such businesses typically used them to conduct training activities.

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. By the end of the 2010s, there was a shortage of several key components, such as brakes and starter generators, making it increasingly hard to keep the Strikemaster airworthy. Many aircraft retired by Botswana, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and Singapore are in museums and private collections.

Variants

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/14SquadronRNZAFStrikemaster.JPG" caption="Photographed 14 years after it was retired, this BAC Strikemaster still wears the colours of [[No. 14 Squadron RNZAF]]."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Team_Viper_display_team_in_four_BAC_Strikemasters_arp.jpg" caption="The four BAC Strikemasters of the UK [[aerobatics]] display team Team Viper at [[Cotswold Airport]], [[Gloucestershire]], [[England"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/BDF_Air_Wing_BAC_Strikemaster_at_Duxford.jpg" caption="One of Botswana's Strikemasters"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/RNZAF_Strikemaster4.jpeg" caption="RNZAF Strikemasters in 1984"] ::

  • Strikemaster Mk 80 : Export version for Saudi Arabia, 25 aircraft.
  • Strikemaster Mk 80A: 22 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: 13 aircraft were sold to Oman as a second 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.
  • Strikemaster Mk 89 : Export version for Ecuador, 22 aircraft.
  • Strikemaster Mk 89A: 6 were sold to Ecuador as a second order.
  • Strikemaster Mk 90 : Export version for Sudan, 4 aircraft.

Production

  • Strikemaster 80: 136
  • Strikemaster 90: 10

Operators

;

Specifications (Strikemaster Mk 88)

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/BAC_Strikemaster,_Shoreham_Airshow_2014.jpg" caption="BAC Strikemaster, Shoreham Airshow 2014"] ::

|ref= Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976–77 |prime units?= imp General characteristics

|genhide=

|crew= Two |capacity= |length m= |length ft= 33 |length in= 8+1/2 |span m= |span ft= 36 |span in= 10 |height m= |height ft= 10 |height in= 11+1/2 |wing area sqm= |wing area sqft= 213.7 |wing area note= |aspect ratio= |airfoil= NACA 23015 (modified) at root, NACA 4412 (modified) at tip |empty weight kg= |empty weight lb= 6,195 |empty weight note= |gross weight kg= |gross weight lb= 9,303 |gross weight note= pilot training |max takeoff weight lb= 11,500 |fuel capacity= 366 impgal total including tip tanks |more general= Powerplant

|eng1 number= 1 |eng1 name= Rolls-Royce Viper Mk.535 |eng1 type= turbojet |eng1 kn= |eng1 lbf= 3,140

Performance

|perfhide=

|max speed kmh= |max speed mph= 481 |max speed kts= |max speed note= at 18000 ft |cruise speed kmh= |cruise speed mph= |cruise speed kts= |stall speed mph= 98 |stall speed note= flaps down |never exceed speed kmh= |never exceed speed mph= 518 |never exceed speed kts= |range km= |range miles= 1,382 |range nmi= |combat range km= |combat range miles= 145 |combat range nmi= |combat range note= combat radius: with 3000 lb weapons, lo-lo-lo profile |endurance= |ceiling m= |ceiling ft= 40,000 |climb rate ms= |climb rate ftmin= 5,250 |lift to drag= |wing loading kg/m2= |wing loading lb/sqft= |wing loading note= |more performance= Armament

|guns= 2× 7.62 mm machine guns with 550 rounds each |bombs= |rockets= |missiles= |hardpoints= Four (two per wing) |hardpoint capacity= 3000 lb of bombs, machine gun pods, air-to-ground rocket pods, fuel drop tanks, and napalm tanks. |hardpoint rockets= |hardpoint missiles= |hardpoint bombs= |hardpoint other=

|avionics=

References

Citations

Bibliography

  • Taylor, John W.R. "Hunting Jet Provost and BAC 167." Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the present. New York, US: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. .
  • Taylor, John W. R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976–77. London, UK: Jane's Yearbooks, 1976. .

References

  1. Watkins 2023, p. 10.
  2. Images, Skytamer. "BAC Jet Provost T.Mk.5A British two-seat jet-trainer".
  3. ''Flight International'' 13 June 1958, p. 795.
  4. Watkins 2023, pp. 8-9.
  5. Watkins 2023, pp. 10, 27, 28.
  6. Watkins 2023, pp. 12, 138.
  7. Watkins 2023, pp. 10-11, 138.
  8. Watkins 2023, pp. 10-11.
  9. Watkins 2023, p. 138.
  10. Watkins 2023, pp. 10-11, 140.
  11. Watkins 2023, pp. 138-139.
  12. Watkins 2023, p. 147.
  13. Watkins 2023, pp. 138, 147.
  14. Watkins 2023, p. 154.
  15. Watkins 2023, pp. 154-155.
  16. Watkins 2023, p. 11.
  17. Watkins 2023, pp. 143-145.
  18. Watkins 2023, pp. 145-146.
  19. Watkins 2023, p. 141.
  20. Watkins 2023, p. 143.
  21. [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,510740,00.html "Ejected Pilot Survives Crash, Dies During Rescue Accident."] {{Webarchive. link. (28 March 2009 ''foxnews.com'', 26 March 2009. Retrieved: 26 April 2012.)
  22. Watkins 2023, pp. 99-101, 143.
  23. Watkins 2023, p. 100.
  24. (5 August 2004). "Cote d'Ivoire, since 2002". ACIG.
  25. Hewish, Mark; Sweetman, Bill; Wheeler, Barry C.; Gunston, Bill (1984). Air Forces of the World. London, UK: Peerage Books, p. 162.
  26. (2017). "Hot Skies Over Yemen, Volume 1: Aerial Warfare Over the South Arabian Peninsula, 1962-1994". Helion & Company Publishing.
  27. (2011). "African MiGs, Volume 2: Madagascar to Zimbabwe". Harpia Publishing.
  28. Taylor 1976, pp. 172–173.

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british-aircraft-corporation-aircraft1960s-british-attack-aircraftcounter-insurgency-aircraftsingle-engined-jet-aircraftlow-wing-aircraftaircraft-first-flown-in-1967aircraft-with-retractable-tricycle-landing-gear