📌 FV701 Daimler Ferret Armoured Car, Norfolk Tank Museum.

The Ferret Armoured Car was developed in 1949 as a result of a British Army requirement issued in 1947, ''Light Reconnaissance Cars'' existed during World War Two, notably the Daimler Dingo given Daimler's experience with the successful Dingo (6,626 produced and one of two British Armoured Fighting Vehicles produced throughout World War Two) Daimler was awarded a development contract in October 1948, and in June 1950 the first prototype of the Car, Scout, 4x4, Liaison (Ferret) Mk.1 was delivered. The Ferret Armoured Car, more commonly known as the ''Ferret Scout Car'' was 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 used by British Army Regiments, as well as the RAF Regiment and Commonwealth countries throughout the period.

 

Designated the FV701(C), it was one of several versions resembling 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's 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 reducing transmission torque loads, essential with the 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 available in reverse, in its original form, the Ferret produced 116bhp at 3,300rpm and 129bhp at 3,750rpm in its final form.

 

This improved power-to-weight ratio, longer 7ft 6in wheelbase compared with the Dingo's 6ft 6in and the fitting of larger 9.00x16 run flat tyres increased speed and mobility over broken ground. Compared with the Daimler Dingo and Canadian Ford Lynx, the Ferret featured a larger cabin, directly mounted to the hull (the Ferret is much noisier than Dingo, lacking a monocoque body). 0.24in to 0.63in steel plate protects the Crew from shell splinters at most angles except directly overhead because 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 .303in Bren Light Machine Gun or a pintle-mounted .30in Browning Light Machine Gun in addition to the Crew's Personal Weapons.

 

Ferret Mk.2:-

 

Compared to the lightly armed and protected Mk.1, the Mk.2 was designed from the outset to mount a .30in Browning Machine Gun in a one-person traversable turret, at the cost of one Crew member. While this offered better Crew protection and protected the exposed Gunner, the turret raised the height of the vehicle. In general terms, the most successful Wheeled Armoured Vehicles are purpose-designed. The lightest, commensurate with their mission, at the least disadvantage in relation to Tracked Vehicles in terms of ground pressure.

 

Small, light 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 proves popular with private collectors due to the compact size and affordable price, e.g. between £6,000 to £15,000 in the United Kingdom, depending on age and model. Mk.1 and Mk.2 Ferret's were used by Australian Military 1953 to 1970, at which time Australian Military Forces disposed of them at public auction. According to the U.S 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 55bhp gain over the standard B60 engine.

 

General characteristics:-

 

▪︎Type: Wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicle / Reconnaissance Vehicle

▪︎Place of Origin: United Kingdom

▪︎In Service: 1952 to 1991 (UK)

▪︎Conflicts: Malayan Emergency / Algerian War / Aden Emergency / Biafra War / Black September / The Troubles / Dhofar Rebellion / Portuguese Colonial War / Lebanese Civil War / Rhodesian Bush 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

▪︎Number Built: 4,409 (for UK and export)

Manufactured: 1952 to 1962

▪︎Mass: 3.7 ton

▪︎Length: 12ft 2in / Width: 6ft 3in / Height: 6ft 2in

▪︎Crew: 2 (Commander and Driver / Radio Operator)

▪︎Main Armament: 7.62×51mm NATO General Purpose Machine Gun if fitted / .30in M1919 Browning Machine Gun

▪︎Powerplant: Rolls Royce B60 Inlet over Exhaust I6 petrol engine, 130hp

▪︎Power / Weight: 35.1hp / tonne

▪︎Suspension: 4×4 wheel

▪︎Operational Range: 190 miles

▪︎Maximum Speed: 58mph.

 

Sourced from en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferret_armoured_car

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