Alfredo Jurado
Ecuador

History

The BAC 167 Strikemaster is primarly a trainer and close support aircraft which design can be traced back to the fifties in the form of Hunting´s Jet Provost T.Mk.5. Nevertheless, the first flight of the Strikemaster as such was in October 26th 1967. The Strikemaster is powered by a Rolls Royce Viper 20F-20 turbojet engine, 30% more powerful than the previous version and can lift upto four times more payload and being fuel most of this load, it has a greater combat range.

The Strikemaster has a top speed of 472 mph at 20,000 feet, and a climb rate of 26m/sec. Accomodates two crew members in side by side Martin Baker Mk.4 ejection seats and its armament consists in two FN 0.30cal machine guns at the root of air intake, and 500rpg. Eight under wing stations provide capability to lift a combined load of 1,360kg.

After succeeding with its first jets, the FAE was needing to replace those ageing birds, specially F-80C, Meteors and some T-33As. On this grounds the FAE pointed their eyes on the F-5E, but the negative of the U.S. State Department soon closed the file and interest of FAE. The plan was also to provide for a subsonic trainer/light attack aicraft to train the pilots in the path for supersonic jets, thus replacing the T-28As and Ds. The BAC Strikemaster was finally chosen, for being an agile aircraft with great load, capable of being used in the training and counter insurgency role.

The first eight Strikemaster Mk.89 arrived in October 1972 to Salinas´ Ulpiano Paez AB. They were inmediately involved in the instruction role for ESMA air academy cadets. By the end of 1973, the Strikemaster flew 1,466 hours and had two crashes.

in 1974, the remaining Mk.89s plus another three recently arrived were transfered to Taura AB near Guayaquil, to conform No.2313 Combat Squadron, under the lead of Cap. Francisco San Pedro, changing its main primary training role to combat training. They were stationed at Taura until 1978, reaching 9,300 flight hours and four more write offs.

In May 1976, the FAE received eight new Mk.89As and in October 18th 1978 the entire squadron was transfered again to the newly built Eloy Alfaro AB in Manta, after the arrival of the first Jaguar SE and SBs.  In 1985, the FAE showed interest in the acquisition of six more aircraft to build up the squadron after some attrition, and the negotiations held with British Aerospace (ex BAC) succeded in 1987 when the six new aircrafts were received. Those Mk.89s were brand new aircraft embargoed from Sudan, and were boxed at BAe Samlesbury facility, waiting for a buyer.

On January 27th 1979, there was a crash of FAE-255 following an engine shutdown after the take-off roll. Both pilots ejected saving their lives, but one of them was to be confined on a wheel chair for life. Similar accidents occured in the following months and baing unable to determine the reason for those accidents, the FAE decided to ground all Strikemasters until a full investigations is being done. The squadron was then temporarily disbanded.

At the break of the 1981 conflict with Peru, and after six months grounding, the order was given to regroup the squadron 2313 (also named Mk.89 for the type) and to send all available aircraft to Guayaquil International Airport, from where they would be operating after the end of the conflict. In October 1981 a new accident, this time FAE-243, after take-off from Taura, caused a new grounding of the Strikemasters.

In May 10th 1982 arrived two technicians and a pilot from BAe, to determine and solve the problems with the engines. In June 8th, the british pilot Maj. Peter Thompson took off in a commemorative flight that put to and end the grounding of the squadron, and the group was reunited again under command of Lt. Rodrigo Bohorquez.

In February 1989, the air force acquired six more Mk.89s, completing then eleven readied aircraft, but again fatality showed up in the form of several accidents due to bird strikes and one aircraft written off due to overstress in g-forces. To date, the Strikemaster has reached the 34,000 hours mark.

During the last conflict of 1995 with Peru, the Strikemasters of No.2313 Squadron were flying combat air patrol, with sporadic attacks to peruvian ground positions, along with A-37Bs from 2311 Squadron.

Colors and Insignia

Strikemaster camouflage is the same applied to RAF´s Jet Provost during their last days, consisting in the following colors:
Dark Sea Gray BS381C/638 (FS26173) and Dark Green BS381C/641 (FS24079) for upper fuselage and wings; Light Aircraft Gray BS381C/627 (FS26440) for under fuselage and wings.

Initially, they had the rudder painted in the ecuadorian flag colors. The national insignia of yellow, blue and red was applied to left upper wing and right under, while FAE letters were appliedin the counter position. Distinctive of all Mk.89s is the so called "buzz number" applied to both sides of the nose. This number started with a "T" followed by the last two digits of its FAE registration. This configuration lasted until 1995, when the colorful rudder was changed by a less noticeable small flag and squadron badge.

When the Strikemaster FAE-244 (T-44) reached the 10,000 hours mark of the type, a commemorative eagle was painted in the rudder of this sole aircraft. This eagle had a banner in its peak, and reads "10,000 horas".

References

Historical Resume of 2313 "Halcones" Squadron, FAE Maj. Mauricio Campuzano, 1996.
World Air Power Journal / Volumen 30, Autum/Fall 1997
Air Enthusiast / March 1973
Air International / October 1990

I would like to give my sincere thanks to Crnl. Gabela and Maj. Vargas of COMAC; Crnl. Orellana, Lt. Alvarez and UndLt. Ayala of 23rd Wing and all those air technicians that gave me their time, support and patience during the development of this research.