Ferret

Ferret armoured car, also commonly called the Ferret scout car, is a British armoured fighting vehicle designed and built for reconnaissance purposes. The Ferret was produced between 1952 and 1971 by the UK company Daimler. It was widely adopted by regiments in the British Army, as well as the RAF Regiment and Commonwealth countries throughout the period.

Ferret Scout Car
Type - Wheeled armoured fighting vehicle
Place of origin - United Kingdom
Service history
In service - 1952-1991 (UK)
Wars - Aden Emergency / Algerian War / Biafra War / Black September / Dhofar Rebellion / First Sudanese Civil War / Internal Conflict in Myanmar / Invasion of Kuwait / Iran-Iraq War / Lebanese Civil War / Malayan Emergency / Portuguese Colonial War / Second Sudanese Civil War / Somali Civil War / South African Border War / Sri Lankan Civil War / Suez Crisis / Syrian Civil War / The Troubles / Ugandan Bush War
Production history
No. built - 4409 (for UK and export)
Specifications
Mass - 3.7 t
Length - 12 ft 2 in (3.7 m)
Width - 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Height - 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Crew - 2 (commander, driver/radio operator)
Main armament - 7.62x51 mm NATO GPMG if fitted .30 M1919 Browning machine gun
Secondary armament - none
Engine - Rolls Royce B60 Inlet over Exhaust I6 petrol / 130 hp (97 kW)
Power/weight - 35.1 hp/tonne (26.2 kW/tonne)
Suspension - 4x4 wheel
Operational range - 190 mi (310 km)
Maximum speed - 58 mph (93 km/h)

The Ferret was developed in 1949 as a result of a British Army requirement issued in 1947. 'Light reconnaissance cars' existed during the Second World War, notably the Daimler Dingo.
Given its experience with the successful Dingo (6,626 produced and one of two British AFVs produced throughout WWII) Daimler was awarded a development contract in October 1948, and in June 1950 the first prototype of the Car, Scout, 4×4, Liaison (Ferret) Mark 1 was delivered.
Given the designation FV 701(C) it was one of several versions but the one that most closely resembled the original Daimler scout cars, and represented the basic model Ferret. This shared many similar design features with the Dingo, notably the H form drive train in which a central differential eliminates loss of traction due to wheel-slip, and parallel drive shafts considerably reduced the height of the vehicle (roughly equivalent to that of a tracked AFV) compared to conventional armoured car designs.
Like the Daimler scout car, the Ferret suspension consisted of pairs of transverse links and single coil springs, the wheels driven by Tracta constant-velocity joints, but the Ferret benefited from epicyclic reduction gears that reduced transmission torque loads, essential given the more powerful six cylinder 4.26 litre water-cooled Rolls Royce B.60 petrol engine. Connected by a fluid coupling to a pre-selector five speed epicyclic gearbox, all gears being available in reverse, in its original form the Ferret this installation produced 116 bhp (87 kW) at 3,300 rpm and 129 bhp (96 kW) at 3,750 in its final form.
This improved power-to-weight ratio, longer wheelbase (2.29 m (7.5 ft) as compared with the Dingo's 1.98 metres (6.5 feet)) and the fitting of larger 9.00×16 run flat tyres both increased speed and mobility over broken ground.
When compared with the Daimler Dingo and Canadian Ford Lynx, the Ferret featured a larger fighting compartment, directly mounted to the hull (a feature that made the Ferret much noisier than Dingo, which lacked a fully monocoque body).
Constructed of 6-16 mm (0.24-0.63 in) steel plate protecting the crew from shell splinters at most angles except directly overhead, as the basic vehicle was open-topped and unarmed, with the exception of six forward-firing grenade launchers fitted to the hull over the front wheels (normally carrying smoke grenades), a feature found on all subsequent marks and models.
However, the Ferret normally carried a .303" (7.7 mm) Bren light machine gun or a pintle-mounted .30" (7.62 mm) Browning light machine gun for defensive purposes, in addition to the crew's personal weapons.
Ferret Mark 2
In contrast to the lightly armed and protected Mark 1, the Mark 2 was designed from the outset to mount a .30" (7.62 mm) Browning in a one-man fully traversable turret, at the cost of one crew member. While this offered better crew protection and protected the otherwise dangerously exposed gunner, the turret raised the height of the vehicle and thus made it more conspicuous; in consequence, the choice of fit depended on the nature of the mission.
In general terms, the most successful wheeled armoured vehicles have been purpose-designed and the lightest, commensurate with their mission, being at the least disadvantage in relation to tracked vehicles in terms of ground pressure, which largely governs off-road performance.
Small and fast enough to be useful in an urban environment, but sufficiently strong and agile to negotiate rugged terrain off-road, the Ferret, while no longer in service in the British Army, is still operated by several Commonwealth countries and has proven popular with private collectors due to the compact size and affordable price, e.g. around $20,000 to $30,000 in the United States, $40,000 to $60,000 in Australia and New Zealand and around $9,000 in the Czech Republic.
Mark 1 and Mark 2 Ferrets were used by Australian Military forces from 1953 to 1970, at which time Australian military forces disposed of them at public auction.
According to the US Military, 20 national armies were operating the Ferret in 1996.
...
A total of 4,409 Ferrets, including 16 sub-models under various Mark numbers, were manufactured between 1952 and 1962, when production ceased. It is possible to upgrade the engine using the more powerful FB60 version from the Austin Princess 4-Litre-R; this upgrade providing a 55 bhp (41 kW) gain over the standard B60 engine.

Current operator`S
Abu Dhabi: 65
Bahrain: 8
Brunei
Burkina Faso: 30
Burma: 45
Cameroon: 15
Central African Republic: 8
Gambia: 8
Jamaica: 15, Mk 4 variant
Jordan: 180
Kenya: 12
Kuwait: 90
Madagascar: 10
Malawi (Some donated by South Africa.)
Nepal: 40, Mk 4 variant
Nigeria: 40
Oman: 15
Pakistan: 90
Qatar: 10
Saint Kitts and Nevis: 3
Sudan: 40-50
Uganda: 15
Zambia: 28

Former operator`S
Australia: 265
Biafra: 1
Canada: 124
France: 200 (Likely replaced by the Panhard AML.)
Ghana: 30
Hong Kong (Used by the Royal Hong Kong Regiment.)
Indonesia: 55
Iran: 50
Iraq: 20
Lebanon: 5 (Possibly donated by Jordan.)
Libya: 15
Malaysia: 92, Mk 2 variant (Some still active in Royal Malaysian Police.)
New Zealand: 9, Mk 2 variant
Netherlands: 6 Mk 2, 1 Mk 1 (Operated by 11 Infantry Recce Company.)
North Yemen
Portugal: 32, Mk 4 variant
Rhodesia
Saudi Arabia: 30
Somalia: 18
South Africa: 231
South Yemen: 15
Sri Lanka: 42
United Kingdom
Zaire: 30
Zimbabwe: 10

Variant`S
There are several Marks of Ferret, including those with varying equipment, turret or no turret and armed with Swingfire anti-tank missiles. Including all the marks and experimental variants, there have probably been over 60 different vehicles.
Mk 1
FV701C
Liaison duties
No turret
Armament .30" (7.62 mm) Browning MG
MK 1/1
Fitted with thicker side and rear hull plates during manufacture
Sealed hull for fording
Armament .30" (7.62 mm) Browning MG
Mk 1/2
As Mk 1/1 but fitted with fixed turret with hinged roof door
Crew of three
Armament Bren LMG, later GPMG
Mk 1/2
As Mk 1/1 but fitted with flotation screen
Armament .30" (7.62 mm) Browning MG
Mk 2
Original reconnaissance vehicle with 2-door turret from Alvis Saracen APC
Armament .30" (7.62 mm) Browning MG
Mk 2/1
Original Mk 1 with 2-door turret from Alvis Saracen APC
Armament .30" (7.62 mm) Browning MG with Bren LMG stowage
Mk 2/2
Original Mk 1 with extension collar and 3-door turret
Armament .30" (7.62 mm) Browning MG
Mk 2/3
As original Mk 2 but fitted with thicker side and rear hull plates during manufacture
Armament .30" (7.62 mm) Browning MG
Mk 2/4
Original Mk 2 but fitted with welded-on appliqué on side and rear of hull and turret
Armament .30" (7.62 mm) Browning MG
Mk 2/5
As Mk 1 fitted with appliqué plates as the Mk 2/4
Armament .30" (7.62 mm) Browning MG with Bren LMG stowage
MK 2/6
FV703
As Mk 2/3 converted as carrier for *Vigilant antitank missile
Armament .30" (7.62 mm) Browning MG and four missiles mounted in boxes, two on each side of turret
Used by British Army and Abu Dhabi
Mk 2/7
FV701
As Mk 2/6 stripped of anti-tank missiles after Vigilant withdrawn from service
Mk 3
Basic hull for Mk 4 and 5
Larger wheels
Heavier armour
Stronger suspension
Flotation screen
Mk 4
FV711
Reconnaissance vehicle with 2-door turret from Alvis Saracen APC
Also Mk 2/3 rebuilt to new specification
Armament .30" (7.62 mm) Browning MG
Mk 5
FV712
Mk 3 hull with unusual wide flat turret for Swingfire anti-tank missiles and L7 GPMG
Ferret 80