The Aircraft of the Week PT1 the MB-326

The MB-326 first flew December 10, 1957, and was created as a replacement for Italy’s T-6 Texan fleet.  The 326 used the Rolls Royce Viper engine was a non-afterburning turbojet and was initially built as a completely expendable engine for the Jindivik drone.  Interestingly enough the T-38/F-5 family used the GE J-85 which was designed for the Quail drone and also to be expendable.

The MB-326 exported worldwide.  Though one unique customer Alitalia bought 4 demilled airframes to help their pilots with the conversion to Jet airliners.  Aermacchi was very willing to sell licenses to other nations to produce the aircraft. Two of the Largest were Australia for the RAAF and South Africa for the SAAF.  The CAC or Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation produced 18 kits and 67 airframes for RAAF after getting 12 built by Aermacchi.  The Maneuverability of the aircraft made it the perfect airframe for the Roulettes the RAAF who flew it from 1970 to 1989.  The RAAF retired the aircraft in 2001 in favor of the PC-9.

South Africa received 40 Aermacchi airframes and the produced 125 as the Impala.  The SAAF used the aircraft as a light attack aircraft in the Angolan conflicts.  The Impala’s are credited with the shoot down 6 Mi-8 and Mi-24 Helicopters .  The Silver Falcons the SAAF demonstration Team and flew it from 1967 to 1997.

Embraer built 167 aircraft for the FAB and various countries, Argentina Paraguay and Togo.   

Cameroon still operates 8 of them.

The following Countries have flown or still flying the 326;

Argentina

Australia

Brazil

Cameroon

Democratic Republic of Congo

Dubai

Ghana

Italy

Paraquay

South Africa

Togo

Tunisia

UAE

Zaire

Zambia

So that is the brief history of the MB-326 and its varients.