Inspired by
Frank3K's Belize Defence Force
Jet Provost T.3 model:
http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=vbtkp9suhcghdg5p97p95jjmn6&topic=8199.msg162340Frank reports that the four ex-RAF T.3s arrived from the UK in late 1981 - just in time to engage the May 1982 incursion by Guatemalan forces. That posed a question: What happened next?
The well-worn
Jet Provosts served on as the BDF's sole combat aircraft for a decade. With no obvious replacements available. In October 1989, Belizean Prime Minister George Price made an appeal at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at Kuala Lumpur. A response came from New Zealand's Prime Minister, Geoffrey Palmer. The RNZAF was soon to retire its fleet of BAC 167
Strikemaster Mk.88s - the armed attack derivative of Belize's in-service
Jet Provost. After consulting with Lt-Gen Sir John Mace, the CDF in Wellington, Palmer offered Belize the donation of four
Strikemaster upon their retirement from the RNZAF. [1]
New Zealand would not relinquish its
Strikemasters until December 1992 but, in early 1991, BDF flight crews began exchange training with No. 14 Squadron RNZAF at Ohakea. In the Spring of 1993, four crated
Strikemasters arrived by sea at the port of Belize City. [2] Three of the Mk.88s were re-assembled by seconded RNZAF personnel at Belize City Municipal Airport. Once tested and approved for operations, BDF crews flew their new mounts south to their new base at Placencia Airport. [3] After working up, the BDF Air Wing's newest unit, No. 1418 Flight, officially achieved full operational status on New Year's Day 1994 - to coincide with the disbanding of British Forces Belize.
Top Ex-RNZAF BAC
Strikemaster Mk.88 in interim BDF markings, AB Placencia, Belize, January 1994
In the meantime, the BDF Air Wing's
Jet Provost fleet had been reduced to two operational aircraft. 'JPs' 02 and 04 were grounded to act as spares for the operational aircraft. With the
Strikemasters taking over the armed role, the Soviet rocket pods were removed from the 'JPs'. [4] Thereafter, the remaining two
Jet Provosts alternated in the role of operational trainer for the
Strikemasters.
Bottom BDF-AW
Strikemaster Mk.88 forward deployed to Hector Silva airstrip outside Belmopan during the December 1998 border dispute with Guatemala. This aircraft has been refurbished and wears the new 'air superiority' grey finish.
_____________________________
[1] This required negotiations with Aermacchi which had taken some of the RNZAF Mk.88s in trade as part of New Zealand's MB339CB procurement.
[2] Re-numbered simply as 01-through-04, the former New Zealand serials for the donated
Strikemasters were: NZ6362, NZ6363, NZ6370, and NZ6375/G.
[3] The fourth
Strikemaster, NZ6375/G, was flown by RNZAF
Hercules to Placencia where it was assembled to act as an instructional airframe.
[4] The UB-20-80 rocket pods were redeployed with 1 Battalion where they acted as truck-mounted indirect fire support - mass-firings of S-8 rockets on exercises near the Guatemalan border serving as noisy demoralizers of opposing conscript troops.
