Jet Provost

The Jet Provost is a British single‑engine, low‑wing jet trainer produced by the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) from the late 1950s through the 1970s. Developed from the piston‑engine Provost basic trainer, the aircraft first flew on 24 August 1954 and entered service with the Royal Air Force in 1959 as the Jet Provost T.1. Powered by a Rolls‑Royce Viper turbo‑jet delivering about 1,640 lbf, the type featured a spacious, all‑metal fuselage, tandem cockpit with ejection seats, tricycle undercarriage and a straightforward, low‑maintenance design that made it ideal for ab initio training. Over its production run, five major variants (T.1 to T.5) were introduced, each incorporating upgraded avionics, strengthened airframes, and more powerful Viper engines, while retaining the basic flight characteristics that provided students with a smooth transition to operational front‑line jets. More than 750 Jet Provosts were built, and the type remained in RAF service until 1993, after which many were sold to civilian operators and displayed in museums. Its long service life and robust construction cemented the Jet Provost’s reputation as one of the most successful jet trainers of the Cold‑War era, influencing later trainer designs worldwide.