Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Two-seat military trainer

Power Plant:

(T.2)

One 1,750 lbst Bristol Siddeley Viper Mk 8 turbojet

Specifications:

History:

The Hunting Percival P-84 Jet Provost was developed as a private venture utilising a considerable proportion of the structure of the piston-engined Percival P-56 Provost, which was then in service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a basic trainer.  It was an all-metal, side-by-side trainer with Martin-Baker lightweight ejection seats. The basic fuselage of the Provost was lengthened by 0.9 m (3 ft) to accommodate a Viper turbojet, and the cockpit was moved forward to counteract the weight of the engine. The wing and tail assemblies were essentially similar, but were suitably strengthened to meet extra loads imposed at higher speeds.  Internal fuel supply of the T.1 was 827 litres (182 Imp gals) in six wing tanks, and tip tanks could each carry 218 litres (48 Imp gals).  The wings incorporated slotted flaps and airbrakes.

In March 1953 the British Ministry of Supply ordered nine examples of the Jet Provost T.1 for trials and evaluation, the prototype (XD674) flying for the first time on 26 June 1954, being demonstrated at Farnborough in Hampshire that year.  Subsequently it had leading-edge extensions fitted at the wing roots and a fin added beneath the tail, becoming the T.2, entering service at No 2 Flying Training School (FTS) at Hullavington in Wiltshire.  The T.3 had the more powerful ASV-8 Viper engine and the first of these flew on 1 September 1955.  Other RAF training establishments received the type, including 3 FTS at Leeming, 6 FTS at Acklington, 7 FTS at Church Fenton and the RAF College at Cranwell.

The type was well suited for aerobatics and aerobatic teams with the RAF included the Red Pelicans, the Sparrows, and the Redskins.

The type was also supplied to the air forces of Ceylon (T.51), Sudan (T.51 and T.52), Venezuela (T.52), Kuwait (T.51), Iraq and the South Arabian Federation.

Some 466 Jet Provosts were constructed.  In the later models supplied to overseas customers various ranges of armament could be installed, including Browning machine guns in the intake walls, an under-fuselage gunpack containing two 12.7 mm (0.5 in) machine guns, or alternative loads under the wings including rockets and bombs.

The T.5 was introduced in 1967, having a pressurised cabin and an extended nose to house the avionics. It also had a new wing and increased fuel capacity. Eventually 157 T.3s and T.5s were refurbished by the fitting of DME and VOR to produce the T.3A and T.5A.

A number of Jet Provosts have been sold to private operators since their retirement from RAF service and have been used for “warbird experience” flights.  However, in mid 2007, following perceived problems with the type, the British Civil Aviation Authority issued a Mandatory Permit Directive affecting the Jet Provost and Strikemaster aircraft, restricting the aircraft to non-aerobatic status.

During 1959 a Hunting Jet Provost T.2 G-AOHD (c/n PAC/84/012) was imported for demonstration to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and was allotted the serial A99-001. This aircraft was built as a private venture and was first flown at Luton in Bedfordshire in March 1956. Registered G-AOHD on 26 March 1956, it was delivered to HPAL as a P-84 Series 2. It then made a sales tour of South America from April to August 1958, subsequently returning to the United Kingdom from Rio de Janeiro.  It was then fitted with new wings and a Series T.3 undercarriage, and was shipped to Australia in 1959.

G-AOHD was assembled at Bankstown, NSW by de Havilland Australia and flown to Melbourne, VIC.  It was employed at No 1 Basic Flying School at Point Cook, VIC for comparative trials alongside the RAAF’s then standard trainer, the CAC Winjeel.  Two RAAF trainees commenced their flying training on the Jet Provost and the rest of the course received instruction on the Winjeel.  The comparative costs, progress of students, etc, were then all taken into account to determine if the RAAF should commence an all-jet course of basic instruction.

It then returned to Bankstown on 30 November 1959 and was placed in storage. The Jet Provost was not adopted as the RAAF’s basic trainer, and the Winjeel continued in service until the arrival of the AESL CT-4 Airtrainer.  A99-001 remained in Australia and in 1960 was noted at an aviation event at Bankstown. It was sold to the RAAF in August 1961. Later it was obtained by the Sydney Technical College at Ultimo, NSW, where it was used for apprentice training.  Eventually it was obtained by the RAAF Museum at Point Cook, restored to its RAAF markings and placed on display.

United Kingdom records indicated a further Jet Provost T.2 (c/n PAL/84/015) came to Australia. Test flown as G-23-1 it was allotted the civil registration G-APVF in May 1956 but the registration was not taken up.  It was displayed at Farnborough in 1956, was converted to T.3 configuration as the prototype for that series, and was fitted with an ASV-9 engine.  It was then flown in a Blackburn Beverley to Khormaksar in Aden, Yemen, for tropical trials.  It made a tour of India and Pakistan in August 1958 and was then shipped back to the United Kingdom by a Blackburn Beverley.  Records indicated it was shipped to Australia for evaluation by the RAAF as A99-002 and was said to be assembled at Bankstown.  However, there are no records of it being flown and tested in Australia, although British records indicated it was scrapped in Australia.

Following the retirement of the type by the Royal Air Force and its replacement by the Shorts Tucano, the Jet Provost has become popular with warbird enthusiasts. Twelve examples are known to have been imported to Australia, most by International Air Parts at Bankstown.  Three came from the Singapore Air Force, two T.3s (serials 354 and 350) and a T.4 (serial 663), the latter becoming VH-JPP, which has been based in Launceston, TAS.

The others were all ex-RAF Provosts, comprising three T.4s (Instructional airframe numbers H9035M, H8516M and H3239M) and six T.5As (XW295, XW357, XW362, XW374, XW408, and XW435).

A few have been restored to airworthiness, all T.5As, the first of this group completed being XW295, which became VH-JPV.  Others registered have been VH-JPE (ex XW374), VH-YZB (ex WX357), VH-YZC (ex XW362) and VH-YZD (ex XW408).  VH-JPE has been operated by Jet Fighter Adventures in Queensland, and the other three have been operated by the Aerospace Services Group in Sydney, NSW. The others, three T.52s (SAF350, SAF354 and SAF356) and two T.4s (XR653 and XR643), were owned by International Air Parts of Sydney, and two were donated to and placed on display at the Australian Aviation Museum at Bankstown. The fate of these latter two is not known following the closure of the museum in 2018.