South African obtained a production license for the MB-326M that was named Atlas Impala Mk.I in 1964 and the production started two years later, in 1966. The South African Air Force bought 40 Italian airplanes and 125 of them were locally built by the Atlas Aircraft Corporation. They were used both in the trainer and light attack role.
Seven further airplanes of MB-326K light attack model plus another 15 of them and 78 more were locally built by the Atlas Aircraft Company as the Atlas Impala Mk.II in 1974.
They were used in the South African war against the Angolan and Cuban troops in the border war. During the course of that war only one of them was shot down by an Angolan SA-7.
They had many advantages as they could operate from primitive airfields in order to strike swiftly during the 1970s and most of the 1980s when most of the Impalas were replaced by the Dassault Mirage III and Blackburn Buccaneers in order to perform the ground attack role.
The Impala Mk.II was also used as interceptor when in 1985 one of them shot down various Mil Mi-8 and Mil Mi-24 helicopters cutting off Angolan supply lines.
Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aermacchi_MB-326#South_African_service
2. http://www.craiglotter.co.za/2015/05/13/military-aircraft-south-african-atlas-impala-macchi-mb-326/
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