Ferret armoured car

Ferret Scout Car
Ferret Mk.1/2 in desert finish
Type Wheeled armoured fighting vehicle
Place of origin United Kingdom
Service history
In service 1952 - 1971 (UK)
Wars Malayan Emergency
Algerian War[1]
Aden Emergency
Biafra War
Black September
Dhofar Rebellion
Rhodesian Bush War
Portuguese Colonial War[2]
Lebanese Civil War
Somali Civil War
South African Border War
First Sudanese Civil War
Second Sudanese Civil War
Suez Crisis
Sri Lankan Civil War
Ugandan Bush War
Internal conflict in Myanmar
Iran–Iraq War
Invasion of Kuwait
Syrian Civil War
Specifications
Weight 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 3 (commander, driver & radio operator)
Main
armament
 7.62×51mm 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
Suspension 4x4 wheel
Operational
range
 190 mi (310 km)
Speed 58 mph (93 km/h)

The 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.

History

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 Reconnaissance Scout Car.

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, 4x4, 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), considerably reducing the vehicle's visual signature over conventional armoured car designs.[3]

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 at 3,300 rpm and 129 bhp 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 x 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 defensive fit of a .303in Bren light machine gun or pintle-mounted .30in Browning light machine gun[3] in addition to the crew's personal weapons.

Ferret Mark 2

In contrast to the lightly armed and protected Mark 1, which could carry a .303in Bren or pintle-mounted .30in Browning light machine gun, the Mark 2 was designed from the outset to mount a .30in 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.[3]

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.[4]

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.[5]

Production

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 55bhp gain over the standard B60 engine.

Operators

Map of Ferret operators in blue with former operators in red
Nepalese Army Ferrets parked outside a United Nations compound during UNOSOM II.

Current operators

Former operators

Variants

The interior of a Ferret on display at Imperial War Museum Duxford

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 Browning MG
MK 1/1
  • Fitted with thicker side and rear hull plates during manufacture
  • Sealed hull for fording
  • Armament .30 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 Browning MG
Ferret Mk2 of the South African Defence Force.
Mk 2
  • Original reconnaissance vehicle with 2-door turret from Alvis Saracen APC
  • Armament .30 Browning MG
Mk 2/1
  • Original Mk 1 with 2-door turret from Alvis Saracen APC
  • Armament .30 Browning MG with Bren LMG stowage
Mk 2/2
  • Original Mk 1 with extension collar and 3-door turret
  • Armament .30 Browning MG
Mk 2/3
  • As original Mk 2 but fitted with thicker side and rear hull plates during manufacture
  • Armament .30 Browning MG
Mk 2/4
  • Original Mk 2 but fitted with welded-on appliqué on side and rear of hull and turret
  • Armament .30 Browning MG
Mk 2/5
  • As Mk 1 fitted with appliqué plates as the Mk 2/4
  • Armament .30 Browning MG with Bren LMG stowage
MK 2/6
  • FV703
  • As Mk 2/3 converted as carrier for *Vigilant antitank missile
  • Armament .30 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 Browning MG
Ferret Mk 5 at The Tank Museum, Bovington
Mk 5
  • FV712
  • Mk 3 hull with unusual wide flat turret for Swingfire anti-tank missiles and L7 GPMG
Ferret 80

References

  1. ↑ http://tenes.info/nostalgie/BLINDES/Auto_Mitrailleuse_AM_20_dans_le_Constantinois
  2. ↑ Abbott, Peter; Rodrigues, Manuel (1998). Modern African Wars 2: Angola and Mozambique 1961-74. Osprey Publishing. p. 11.
  3. 1 2 3 Ogorkiewicz, R.M. (1972). AFV Profiles 44 Ferrets and Fox. Profile Publications Ltd.
  4. ↑ http://earmyshop.cz/vozidlo-ferret
  5. ↑ Anti-Armor Weapons Subcourse
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 "Trade Registers". Armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Christopher F. Foss. Jane's World Armoured Fighting Vehicles (1976 ed.). Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd. pp. 156–157. ISBN 0-354-01022-0.
  8. ↑ Christopher F. Foss. Jane's Tanks and Combat Vehicles Recognition Guide (2000 ed.). Harper Collins Publishers. pp. 386–391. ISBN 978-0-00-472452-2.
  9. ↑ "Pakistan Land Forces military equipment and vehicles of Pakistani Army".
  10. ↑ Richard Lobban, Jr. Global Security Watch: Sudan (2010 ed.). Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 182. ISBN 978-0-313-35332-1.
  11. ↑ Jowett, Philip (2016). Modern African Wars (5): The Nigerian-Biafran War 1967–70. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Press. pp. 24–46. ISBN 978-1472816092.
  12. ↑ https://captainstevens.com/military/mv/ferret-scout-car/canadian-ferrets-all-124-by-car/
  13. ↑ Defence Update (International). Defence Update G.m.b.H., 1984, 1984–85 Volume Collected Issues 48–58.
  14. 1 2 Christopher F. Foss. Jane's Armour and Artillery (2002 ed.). Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd. p. 260. ISBN 978-0710623096.
  15. ↑ Keegan, John (1983). World Armies (Second ed.). Basingstoke: Palgrave-Macmillan. ISBN 978-0333340790.
  16. ↑ "Lesakeng". South African Armour Museum. 6 December 2012. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-18.
  17. ↑ Simon Baynham. Zimbabwe in transition (October 1992 ed.). Almqvist & Wiksell International. p. 240. ISBN 978-9122015086.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.