BAC Jet Provost

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The Hunting Percival (later BAC) Jet Provost was a jet-powered training aircraft used by the RAF from 1955 to 1993.

In the 1950s the RAF issued a requirement for a new dedicated jet training aircraft. Hunting developed the Jet Provost from the piston-engined Percival Provost basic trainer. On June 26 1954 the prototype made its first flight. The Air Ministry ordered 10 of the Jet Provost T.1, and in June 1957 40 of the Jet Provost T.3, featuring a new engine, ejector seats, a redesign of the airframe, and strengthened undercarriage. In total 201 T.3s were delivered between 1958 and 1962.

The T.4 followed in 1961 with a new engine, and then the pressurized T.5 in 1967. They were withdrawn from RAF service in the early 1990s and replaced by Short Tucanos.

The T.51 was an armed export version which was sold to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Kuwait and Sudan. Armed with two 7.7-mm (0.303-inch) machine guns. The T-52 was other armed export version, it was sold to Iraq, South Yeman, Sudan and Venezuela. It had the same armament as the T.51. The T.55 was the final armed export version which was sold to the Sudan.

The design was also used for the BAC Strikemaster.

The Jet Provost remains popular among enthusiasts and being an inexpensive jet, many are now in private hands. Some are flown at airshows.

1 Variants
2 Operators
3 Specifications (BAC Jet Provost)
4 External link
5 Related content

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Variants

Jet Provost T1 - 12 built, initial production batch for the RAF.
Jet Provost T2 - 4 built, development aircraft only.
Jet Provost T3 - 201 built, main production batch for the RAF.
Jet Provost T3A - 70 modified T3 with improved avionics for the RAF.
Jet Provost T4 - 185 built, variant with more powerful engine for the RAF
Jet Provost T5 - 110 built, pressurised version for the RAF
Jet Provost T5A - 94 converted from T5 with improved avionics
Jet Provost T5B - converted from T5 for navigator training
Jet Provost T51 - Export Version of the T3 (12 built for Ceylon, 4 built for Sudan, and 6 built for Kuwait)
Jet Provost T52 - Export Version of the T4 (12 built for Iraq, 15 built for Venezuela, 8 built for Sudan)
Jet Provost T55 - Export Version of the T5 (5 built for Oman)