The Hunting Provost replaced the de Havilland Tiger Moth & Percival Prentice in RAF service in 1953, & complemented the de Havilland Vampire T.Mk 11 (the RAF’s new North American Harvard replacements). This Provost/Vampire training system proved highly successful, but many believed that it would eventually give way to an all-jet training course. Hunting (as a private venture) proposed a turbojet-powered trainer, which was ordered by the Ministry of Supply in March 1953 for trials. The first prototype (XD674) made its first flight on the 16^th of June 1954. Nine production aircraft followed, the first eight being designated T.Mk1, & the last being built to T.Mk2 standard. Comparative trials between the new Jet Provost & the old Provost were conducted at RAF Hullavington by No.2 FTS. The first student to fly solo in the Jet Provost during the trials was Pilot Officer R.T Foster on the 17^th of October 1955. The trials showed great promise for the Jet Provost, & it was decided in 1957 that the Jet Provost should be standardised throughout Flight Training Command. These standardised aircraft were manufactured to T.Mk3 standard, the original T.Mk1s providing a formation aerobatic team at the Farnborough SBAC show between 1958 & 1959.

201 T.Mk3s were delivered, the T.Mk3 having a more powerful engine, shorter-stroke landing gear, wingtip fuel tanks, Martin-Baker ejector seats, DME & UHF radios & a clear-vision canopy. The T.Mk3 was replaced by the T.Mk4, the first flight of which took place on the 15^th of July 1960. The T.Mk4 was virtually the same as the T.Mk3, except for a new Rolls Royce Viper ASV-11 turbojet, providing 1,134kg (2,500lb) thrust, an increase of 40%. 185 T.Mk4s were delivered.

The need for a pressurised version of the Jet Provost became apparent in 1964, & so Hunting developed the Hunting H.145. Hunting was absorbed by the British Aircraft Corporation, which renamed the H.145 as the BAC 145. It eventually entered service with the RAF as the T.Mk5.

The T.Mk4 was phased out of service in the mid-1970s, & replaced by 70 modified T.Mk3s (designated T.Mk3A) & 109 modified T.Mk5s (designated T.Mk5A).

Jet Provost exports were disappointing, only 65 Mk51s & Mk52s being ordered by Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Iraq, Kuwait, South Arabia (now South Yemen), and Sudan & Venezuela.

The Jet Provost may not have had any great export success, but the Strikemaster did. It had always been known that the agile little Jet Provost could form the basis of a light attack/ reconnaissance aircraft, but Hunting never had the funds needed to develop such an aircraft. After BAC took over, though, it was decided that this proposed aircraft could be developed, & so the BAC-164 (a development of the T.Mk4) was proposed. The BAC-164 was never built, but a testbed for the Rolls-Royce ASV-20 Viper 535 designated BAC-166 was built, & first flew on the 16^th of March 1965. After the BAC-164 & BAC-166 came the BAC-167, which was renamed Strikemaster by the BAC marketing team. This was a development of the T.Mk5, & incorporated a strengthened airframe, the improved engine of the BAC-166, twin internal 7.62mm (0.3in) FN machine guns & a strengthened wing with eight hardpoints, four with a capacity of 340kg (750lb) & four with a capacity of 91kg (200lb). The wing hardpoints were also plumbed to carry fuel tanks, with the inboard pylons able to carry 227 litre (50 Imperial Gal.) tanks, & the outboard pylons able to carry both 227 litre (50 Imperial Gal.) or 341 litre (75 Imperial Gal.) fuel tanks.

The Strikemaster can carry up to 1,361kg (3,000lb) of ordnance in total under the wing, including single 76.2mm (3in) rockets or tiers of four 80mm (3.15in) SURA rockets, bombs of up to 245kg (540lb), 68mm (2.68in) SNEB rocket pods, 227 litre (50 Imperial Gal.) napalm tanks, 2.75in (69.85mm) LAU-68 rocket pods, the Portsmouth Aviation twin 7.62mm machine gun pod with 500 rounds & a Vinten/BAC five-camera reconnaissance pod.

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