BAC Strikemaster

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAC_Strikemaster

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.

The BAC 167 Strikemaster is essentially an armed version of the Jet Provost T Mk
5; the Strikemaster was modified with an uprated engine, wing hardpoints capable
of carrying 4 500 pound Mk82 bombs, two machine guns under the intakes, uprated
flap system with two jacks, larger airbrake jacks, new communication and
navigation gear, different electrical system, canopy breakers on the ejection
seats, and a revised fuel system including conformal fuel tanks on the wing
tips. 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.


Role
Attack aircraft, trainer aircraft

Manufacturer
British Aircraft Corporation

First flight
26 October 1967

Retired
1993

Status
retired

Primary users
Saudi Arabia
Ecuador
Kenya Air Force
Royal New Zealand Air Force
Royal Air Force of Oman

Produced
1967-1984

Number built
146

Developed from
BAC Jet Provost

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.

Specifications (Strikemaster Mk 88)

General characteristics
Crew: two (pilot, copilot)
Length: 33 ft 8½ in (10.27 m)
Wingspan: 36 ft 10 in (11.23 m)
Height: 10 ft 11½ in (3.34 m)
Wing area: 213.7 ft² (19.85 m²)
Airfoil: NACA 23015 (modified) at root, NACA 4412 (modified) at tip
Empty weight: 6,195 lb (2,810 kg)
Loaded weight: 9,303 lb (4,219 kg) (pilot training)
Max. takeoff weight: 11,500 lb (5,215 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Viper Mk.535 turbojet, 3,140 lbf (15.2 kN)

Performance
Never exceed speed: 518 mph (450 knots, 834 km/h)
Maximum speed: 481 mph (418 knots, 774 km/h) at 18,000 ft (5,485 m)
Stall speed: 98 mph (85.5 knots, 158 km/h) (flaps down)
Range: 1,382 mi (1,200 nmi, 2,224 km) (at max take-off weight)
Combat radius: 145 mi (126 nmi, 233 km) with 3,000 lb (1,360 kg) weapons,
lo-lo-lo profile
Service ceiling: 40,000 ft (12,200 m)
Rate of climb: 5,250 ft/min (26.7 m/s)

Armament

Guns: 2× 7.62 mm NATO 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.




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