 During the 1960s, the type was withdrawn from RAF service in favour of its jet-powered successor.It continued to be used for decades after with various export customers.The origins of the Provost can be found in the issuing of Air Ministry specification T.16/48, which called for a single-engined basic trainer aircraft to meet "Operational Requirement 257", seeking a replacement for the Royal Air Force's (RAF) existing fleet of Percival Prentice trainers.