BAC Jet Provost
| Jet Provost | |
|---|---|
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|
| Jet Provost | |
| Role | Military trainer aircraft |
| First flight | 26 June 1954 |
| Introduction | 1955 |
| Retired | 1993 |
| Status | mostly retired, some examples flown privately |
| Primary user | Royal Air Force |
| Produced | 1958–1967 |
| Number built | 734 |
| Developed from | Percival Provost |
| Variants | BAC Strikemaster |
The BAC Jet Provost was a British jet-powered trainer aircraft that was in use with the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1955 to 1993. It was originally developed by Hunting Percival from the earlier piston engine-powered Percival Provost basic trainer, and later produced by the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). In addition to the multiple orders that were placed for the RAF, the Jet Provost also attained several export deals with overseas operators, resulting in the type serving in many air forces worldwide. The design was also further developed into a more heavily armed variant for ground attack mission, which was marketed as the BAC Strikemaster.
In early 1951, Hunting Percival began work on the design studies that would ultimately lead to the Jet Provost. At the time, the company in the process of establishing mass production for the earlier piston-engined Percival Provost basic trainer, but had anticipated that demand for a jet-powered trainer aircraft would be on the horizon. The design team aimed to produce an aircraft capable of equaling the handling characteristics of operational jet fighters of the era while also possessing modest approach and stall speeds and remaining simple to handle, as opposed to aiming to obtain maximum performance.
During the early design process, a series of increasingly frequent liaisons with RAF Flying Training Command took place, helping to gauge the considerations required to succeed in aspects of the proposed aircraft's design, such as instructional processes and maintenance requirements. During development, Hunting Percival had intentionally reused as many existing components and subsystems of the Percival Provost as possible, including the tail surfaces, main planes and main undercarriage legs, to speed development through to the prototype stage. The initial design work was performed as a private venture, independent of any service requirement; in March 1953, sponsorship from the British Government to support the development was made available as a result of interest from the Ministry of Supply. That same month, an order for service-test quantity of Jet Provosts was received.
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