The Hunting Percival Jet Provost was initially developed as a jet engine modification of the piston-engine Percival P.56 Provost, retaining to original wing structure mated to a new fuselage. It was built as a private venture by Hunting Percival Aircraft Limited at Luton Airport.
The P.84 Jet Provost prototype (XD674) first flew at Luton on 26th June 1954, with Dick Wheldon at the controls.
The aircraft was developed in liaison with the RAF Flying Training Command to ensure that it incorporated many of their desired characteristics required, such as easy instructional processes and a low cost of maintenance.
Later flight testing at Boscombe Down refined some of the designs and in February 1955, the first of 10 pre-production aircraft took to the air. Just 3 months later, three aircraft were assigned to the Central Flying School for assessment as an 'Ab-Initio' ('from the beginning') training role.
A number of design changes and refinements were made by Hunting Percival and the Jet Provost T2 made its maiden flight on 1st September 1955. The Jet Provost T2 was purely a development variant and a number visited Scandinavia for 'winterization trials' during the latter part of the year.
In 1957, Hunting Percival received their first tangible success for Jet Provost when a production order was received for forty Jet Provost T3 aircraft. The requirement called for the increased-power Armstrong Siddeley Viper engine, as well as ejector seats and a revised undercarriage arrangement.
In total, 201 Jet Provost T3's were built at Luton between 1958 and 1962, although the Jet Provost T4 variant was already underway by mid-1960. The T4 carried an improved Armstrong Siddeley Viper ASV.11 power unit which was quickly adopted by the key RAF training facilities at Cranwell, Little Rissington, Linton-on-Ouse, as well as RAF Leeming and RAF Ackington.
198 Jet Provost T4's were built ahead of a further engine upgrade and the addition of pressurisation, seen in the arrival of the Jet Provost T.5 (Developed by BAC), which first flew on 28th February 1967.
Numerous militarised export versions of the Jet Provost T3 and T4, known as the Jet Provost T51 and T52 respectively, served with Air Forces in Ceylon / Sri Lanka (12 T51), Kuwait (6 T51) and the Sudan (4 T51), as well as Jet Provost T52's in Iraq (20), South Yemen, Sudan (4) and Venezuela (15).
110 examples of the pressurised BAC 145 Jet Provost T5 were built by BAC at Warton for the RAF, with export aircraft bringing the total number built to 189. As well as a larger, raised cockpit, most T.5s also have large strakes on the lower side of the fuselage nose.
In October 1967, the new BAC Strikemaster took to the skies and so dawned a new era for this iconic design which had started out as a private venture for Hunting Percival Aircraft over 15 years earlier. The BAC 167 Strikemaster was an armed development of the BAC 145 Jet Provost T5.
Hunting Jet Provosts remain in service into the 1990's and due to its easy, inexpensive maintenance, a number still remain in flying and taxiable condition in private hands today.
Hunting Jet Provost Image Gallery
Specification
| Jet Provost Mk 4 | Jet Provost Mk 5 | |
| Powerplant | 2,500 lbst Viper 202 | 2,500 lbst Viper 202 |
| Span | 36 ft 11 in | 35 ft 4 in |
| Maximum Weight | 7,400 lb | 6,989 lb |
| Capacity | Instructor / student | Instructor / student |
| Armament | Normally unarmed but capable of underwing stores carriage | Normally unarmed but capable of underwing stores carriage |
| Maximum Speed | 410 mph | 440 mph |
| Cruise Speed | 390 mph | |
| Maximum range | 700 miles | 900 miles |
Survivors
Airworthy
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Hunting Jet Provost T3A
(XM424)
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Was at Classic Air Force, Coventry - Now defunct
|
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BAC145 Jet Provost T5A
(XW433/G-JPRO)
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Was at Classic Air Force, Coventry - Now defunct |
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Hunting Jet Provost T4
(XR673/G-BXLO)
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Century Aviation, Church Fenton, North Yorkshire
|
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BAC145 Jet Provost T5A
(XW355/G-JPTV)
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Century Aviation, Church Fenton, North Yorkshire
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BAC145 Jet Provost T5A
(XW422/G-BWEB)
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Delta Jets, Kemble Airfield, Gloucestershire
|
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Hunting Jet Provost T3A
(XM479/G-BVEZ)
|
Newcastle Hunting Jet Provost Co, Newcastle
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BAC145 Jet Provost T5
(XW291/G-BWOF)
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Privately owned, Bournemouth Airport, Dorset |
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BAC145 Jet Provost T5
(XW325/G-BWGF)
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Privately owned, Carlisle |
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BAC145 Jet Provost T5
|
BAC145 |
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BAC145 Jet Provost T5A
(XW333/G-BVTC)
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Privately owned, Humberside |
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Hunting Jet Provost T3A
(XN459/B-BWOT)
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Privately owned, North Weald, Essex |
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Hunting Jet Provost T4
(XN637/G-BKOU)
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Hunting Jet Provost Display Team, North Weald, Essex
|
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BAC145 Jet Provost T5A
(XW289/G-JPVA)
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Privately owned, RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset |
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Hunting Jet Provost T4/T52
(XS228/G-PROV)
|
Swords Aviation, North Weald, Essex
|
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BAC145 Jet Provost T5P
(XS230/G-VIVM)
|
Swords Aviation, North Weald, Essex
|
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BAC145 Jet Provost T5A
(XW310/G-BWGS)
|
Where Eagles Share, North Weald, Essex |
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Hunting Jet Provost T.4
(XP672/G-RAFI)
|
South Wales Air Museum, St Athan |
Display or storage
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Hunting Jet Provost T3A
(XM350)
|
Aeroventure Museum, Doncaster, South Yorkshire |
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Hunting Jet Provost T4
(XR650)
|
Boscombe Down Aviation Collection, Wiltshire |
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Hunting Jet Provost T4
(XR662)
|
Boulton & Paul Association, Wolverhampton |
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Hunting Jet Provost T3A
(XN586)
|
Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey |
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Hunting Jet Provost T3A
(XN586)
|
Brooklands Technical College, Weybridge, Surrey |
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Hunting Jet Provost T3
(XM362)
|
Defence College of Aeronautical Eng, RAF Cosford, Shropshire |
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Hunting Jet Provost T3
(XM410)
|
Defence Explosives Disposal School, Chattenden, Kent |
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Hunting Jet Provost T4
(XP688)
|
Delph Training Centre, Eccelston, Lancashire |
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Hunting Jet Provost T4
(XP557)
|
Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum, Dumfries, Scotland |
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Hunting Jet Provost T4
(XP568)
|
East Midlands Aeropark, East Midlands Airport, Derbyshire |
|
Hunting Jet Provost T3
(XM404)
|
Fire Training College, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire |
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Hunting Jet Provost T3A
(XN462)
|
Fleet Air Arm Museum, RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset |
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Hunting Jet Provost T3A
(XN589)
|
Gate Guard, RAF Linton-on-Ouse, North Yorkshire |
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Hunting Jet Provost T3A
(XN494)
|
Cornwall College, Newquay Airport |
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BAC145 Jet Provost T5
(XW293/G-WBWCS)
|
Jet Provost Club, Bournemouth Airport, Dorset |
|
Hunting Jet Provost T4
(XS179)
|
Musueum of Science and Industry, Greater Manchester |
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Hunting Jet Provost T3A
(XM383)
|
Newark Air Museum, Nottinghamshire |
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Hunting Jet Provost T3A
(XM419)
|
Newcastle College, Newcastle upon Tyne |
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Hunting Jet Provost T3
(XM355)
|
Newcastle College, Newcastle upon Tyne |
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Hunting Jet Provost T3A
(XN500)
|
Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum, Flixton, Suffolk |
|
Hunting Jet Provost T4
(XP627)
|
North East Aircraft Museum, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear |
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Hunting Jet Provost T4
(XS181)
|
Privately owned, Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire |
|
Hunting Jet Provost T3A
(XN584)
|
Privately owned, Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire |
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Hunting Jet Provost T4
(XS177)
|
Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre, Lincolnshire |
|
Hunting Jet Provost T4
(XS186)
|
Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre, Lincolnshire |
|
Hunting Jet Provost T4
(XP627)
|
Privately owned, North East Aircraft Museum, Sunderland |
|
Hunting Jet Provost T3
(XM369)
|
Privately owned, Rossendale, Lancashire |
|
Hunting Jet Provost T3
(XM402)
|
Privately owned, West Walton Highway, Norfolk |
|
Hunting Jet Provost T4
(XP638)
|
Privately owned, Ystrad Myrach, Mid-Glamorgan, Wales |
|
Hunting Jet Provost T4
(XP556)
|
RAF Cranwell Aviation Heritage Centre, Lincolnshire |
|
BAC145 Jet Provost T5A
(XW353)
|
RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire |
|
Hunting Jet Provost T3
(XM351)
|
Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford, Shifnal, Shropshire, UK
|
|
BAC145 Jet Provost T5
(XW323)
|
Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon, London |
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Hunting Jet Provost T4
(8409M/XS209)
|
Solway Aviation Museum, Carlisle Lake District Airport, Cumbria |
|
Hunting Jet Provost T3A
(XM414)
|
Ulster Aviation Society, Long Kesh, County Antrim, N. Ireland |
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Hunting Jet Provost T3A
(XM405/G-TORE)
|
University of London, Northampton Square, London |
|
Hunting Jet Provost T4
(XP640)
|
Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, North Yorkshire, UK
|
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BAC Jet Provost T.5
(XW420)
|
South Wales Air Museum, St Athan |
