By the early 1980s the trusty Jet Provost (JP) fleet was growing a little tired and it was clear that a replacement would be needed before the decade was over. The most common variant still in service was the T.5, which had first entered service in September 1969 and the vast majority of the 110 machines that were delivered had been modified to T.5A standard (with updated avionics) by the mid-1970s. Even at this point, the Minister of Defence was seriously considering the idea of re-sparring the entire JP fleet. Still on the table right up to the final tendering stage, the motion was finally dismissed when it was made clear that the RAF would be left with a trainer powered by a thirsty and under-performing Viper turbojet. In addition, the aircraft would still have outdated avionics and a poor ratio of support man-hours compared to flying hours. From the arrival of the Hawk, the leap from the Jet Provost to the next stage of pilot training saw many students fall by the wayside when their ability should have been addressed at an earlier stage.
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