A development of the pressurised Jet Provost Mk.5, the BAC167 Strikemaster was a light attack and training aircraft which the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) hoped would build on the export success achieved by armed versions of the Hunting Jet Provost. Compared to the Jet Provost Mk.5, the Strikemaster had an up-rated Viper engine and a stronger wing in order to carry up to 3,000lb of external stores plus wing-tip fuel tanks. Two 7.62mm machine guns were also incorporated.
There was no prototype as such, the aircraft benefitting from development of the Jet Provost Mk.5, plus trials of the more powerful Viper engine using the last production Jet Provost Mk.4. Flight testing and development was undertaken by early production aircraft. A proposed unpressurised version, the BAC166, did not proceed.
The first order received for the Strikemaster was from Saudi Arabia as part of the contract to upgrade the Kingdom's air defences, at the time one of the highest value export orders achieved by the UK. The first production aircraft made its first flight from Warton on 26th October 1967. Production of wings was mainly at Hurn, with all other major components, final assembly and flight testing at Warton.
Although a hoped-for RAF order for the Strikemaster did not materialise, BAC went on to produce 151 aircraft in 12 marks for nine countries between 1967 and 1988. Differences between the various marks generally related to the avionics packages fitted and the underwing stores carried. However Omani aircraft had armour plating to protect the unpressurised cockpit as only low-level operations were envisaged. Several repeat orders were received for the Strikemaster, its low maintenance costs and rough field capability enabling it to operate with minimum support.
On several occasions during the production life of the Strikemaster, BAC invested its own money to start airframe manufacture in anticipation of future orders, since early delivery of completed aircraft was often a key aspect in securing a contract. This is true of the last 10 aircraft which progressed as far as the completion of the unequipped fuselages at Warton before any order had been made. These 10 as yet unsold aircraft were then shipped to Hurn when the space was required at Warton for other work, with the first fuselage arriving in November 1979. Two aircraft were initially completed and flown from Hurn, acting as demonstrators to potential customers. A sale was eventually achieved for all 10 aircraft to Sudan, and a total of six were completed and flown from Hurn. However, only three were delivered to the customer prior to cancellation of that contract. The remaining seven aircraft returned to Warton when the Hurn factory closed in 1984. These, the last Strikemasters built, were eventually sold to Ecuador and Oman, with the final Strikemaster delivery consisting of three aircraft transported by sea to Ecuador in 1988.