Ferret_Fox AFV-Weapons Profile

8/2/2019 Ferret_Fox AFV-Weapons Profile

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Ferrets and Foxby R . M . Ogorkiewicz

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A F Y I W e u p o n s P r o f i l e sEdited by DUNCAN CROWCheck list of published titles:

Churchill-British Infantry 17 Russian KV and IS 33 German Armoured CarsTank Mk.IV by Major Michael Norman, by Major-General N. W .by B. T. White Royal Tank Regt. Duncan2 PanzerKampfwagen III 18 Chieftain and leopard 34 Scorpion Reconnaissanceby Walter Spielberger (Development) Tank

3 Tanks Marks Ito V by Major Michael Norman by R. M. Ogorkiewiczby Chris Ellis and Peter 19 Chieftain and leopard 35 British Armoured RecoveryChamberlain (Description) Vehicles + Wheels. Tracks

4 light Tanks M1-M5 by Major Michael Norman and Transporters(Stuart/Honey) 20 Churchill and Sherman by Peter Chamberlain andby Chris Ellis and Peter Specials Major-General N. W . DuncanChamberlain by Peter Chamberlain and 36 Chars Hotchkiss H35. H39.

5 light Tanks Marks I-VI Chris Ellis and Somua 535by Major- General N. W . 21 Armoured Cars-Guy. by Major James BinghamDuncan Daimler. Humber. A.E.C. 37 Russian BT Series

6 Valentine-Infantry Tank by B. T. White by John F. MilsomMark III 22 PanzerKampfwagen 38(t) 38 Conqueror Heavy Gunby B. T. White and 35(t) Tank

7 Medium Tanks Mks A to D by John Milsom by Major Michael Normanby Chris Ellis and Peter 23 Soviet Mediums T44. T54. 39 Panhard Armoured CarsChamberlain T55 and T62 by R. M. Ogorkiewicz

8 Crusader-Cruiser Mark by Major Michael Norman 40 U.S. Armored CarsVI (includes Cruisers 24 The M48/M60 Series of by Colonel Robert J. leksMarks I-VI) Main Battle Tanks 41 M103 Heavy Tank +by Major J. K. W . Bingham. by Colonel Robert J. leks M41light TankRoyal Tank Regt. 25 Cromwell and Comet (Walker Bulldog)

9 Early (British) Armoured by Major James Bingham by Colonel Robert J. leksCars 26 Hellcat. long Tom. and 42 Modern Swedish lightby Major-General N. W . Priest. PLUS Complete Armoured VehiclesDuncan Check list of All U.S. by R. M. Ogorkiewicz

10 PanzerKampfwagen V World War II SPs 43 PanzerKampfwagen IVPanther by Colonel Robert J. leks by Walter Spielbergerby Chris Ellis and Peter 27 Saladin Armoured Car 44 Ferret and Fox Scout andChamberlain by Major Michael Norman Reconnaisance Cars

11 M3 Medium (lee/Grant) 28 S-Tank by R. M. Ogorkiewiczby Peter Chamberlain and by R. M. OgorkiewiczChris Ellis 29 M4 Medium (Sherman)

12 Mediums Marks I-III by Peter Chamberlain andby Major-General N. W . Chris EllisDuncan 30 Armoured Cars-Marmon-

13 Ram and Sexton Herrington. Alvis-Strauss-by Peter Chamberlain and ler, light ReconnaissanceChris Ellis by B. T. White

14 Carriers 31 Australian Cruiser-by Peter Chamberlain and Sentinel; and AustralianDuncan Crow Matildas

15 PanzerKampfwagen I and II by Major James Binghamby Major- General N. W . 32 M6 Heavy and M26Duncan (Pershing)

16 landing Vehicles Tracked by Colonel Robert J. leksby Colonel Robert J. leks,USAR Retd.

The publishers regretto announce that asfrom 1stApril 1972 all previously published pricesandprice lists are cancelled.No price increase has been made since August 1970 but due to the wide range of rising costs since that date. thefollowing recommended retail selling price(s) will apply:AFV /Weapons Series 1-42 inclusive 35p each; 43 onwards 40p each.If you have any difficulty in obtaining Profiles from your local book or model shop please write direct to:Mail Order/Subscription Department,PROFILE PUBLICATIONS Ltd, Coburg House, Sheet Street, Windsor, Berks. SL41EB


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Ferrel Mark 2 scout car, the most numerous member of its family,

Ferre ts and Foxby R . M . OgorkiewiczWHEELED armoured vehicles have been widely usedbut their effectiveness has also been frequently decried.Both phenomena are closely related to the relative easewith which wheeled armoured vehicles can be built,particularly on the chassis of other, commercial vehicles.This has made them more readily available but, on theother hand, it has also caused the great majority to be puttogether from components developed for other purposesinstead of being properly designed to fulfill rolescompatible with their characteristics.Thus, wheeled armoured vehicles have suffered fromvarious shortcomings. These have not prevented theirsuccessful use under favourable conditions but have ledto their condemnation under other circumstances,particularly whenever they have had to operate off theroads over muddy terrain, when they compare leastfavourably with tracked vehicles. However, their per-formance has varied considerably and at least some ofthe wheeled armoured vehicles designed as such havebeen able to compete with tracked vehicles off the roadas well as enjoying their inherent superiority over themon roads.In general, the most successful wheeled armoured

vehicles have been not only the few designed as such but

(MVEE)

also the lightest. These have been at the least disadvantagein relation to tracked vehicles with regard to groundpressure, which largely governs off the road performance.In their lightest form wheeled armoured vehicles alsodiffer most from battle tanks, which are inevitablytracked, and they are in many respects a better comple-ment to them than corresponding light tracked vehicles.One of the few examples of such a properly designed

light wheeled armoured vehicle is provided by the Ferretscout car produced by the Daimler Company Ltd., ofCoventry. This scout car was in production for twentyyears and became more widely used than almost anyother contemporary armoured vehicle. In several in-stances it also proved more useful than all other types ofarmoured vehicles.

DAIMLER SCOUT CARThe design of the Ferret stems from that of an earlierDaimler scout car. This vehicle was developed to aBritish Army requirement in 1938 by B.S.A. Cycles Ltd.,but was subsequently taken over by the Daimler Com-pany which delivered the first production models inDecember 1939. By the time its production came to anend, 6,626 had been built and it became one of the only


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two British armoured vehicles to be produced throughoutWorld War II, which in itself indicates how successful itwas. Further evidence of the success of its design isprovided by the fact that it also served as the basis of thedevelopment of the Daimler armoured car which was byfar the most successful of all the various armoured carsbuilt in Britain during World War II.The Daimler scout car was developed to a requirementfor a very light armoured vehicle for scouting and forliaison duties within armoured units. As such it wassuccessfully used from the 1940 campaign in Francethrough the fighting in North Africa in 1941-1943 tothe final campaign in north-west Europe in 1944 and1945. Tank regiments came to have 12, distributedbetween the regimental and tank squadron headquarters,while armoured car regiments, which performed recon-naissance for armoured divisions and higher formations,could have up to 61 each. In the case of armoured carregiments they were mixed with armoured cars rightdown to the level of the reconnaissance troop whichconsisted of two armoured cars and two scout cars.

Daimler armoured cal' of World War II. (Daimler)

Daimler seoul car of World War fl. (MVEE)

FERRET MARK 1The usefulness of the Daimler scout car led to a continueddemand after World War II for this type of vehicle forliaison and scouting and also for short-range recon-naissance for which a special category of "light recon-naissance cars" existed during the war but which, in amodified form, the scout car was also deemed capable ofperforming. As a result, the British Army issued arequirement in 1947 for a new type of scout car. Thedevelopment of this vehicle was logically entrusted to theDaimler Company which was awarded a developmentcontract in October 1948 and in June 1950 delivered thefirst prototype of the new scout car.The first vehicle delivered by Daimlers was actually theprototype of what was officially called Car, Scout, 4 X 4,Liaison (Ferret) Mark I and was given the design serialnumber F.V. 701(C). This was one of several versions ofthe Ferret scout car to be built but it was also one whichwas most closely related to the original Daimler scoutcars, as well as being the basic model of the Ferret series.Like the Daimler scout car, the Mark I Ferret is a small


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rurretless vehicle and from the automotive point of viewits design isessentially the same as that of its predecessor,which was well in advance of its day. In particular, it hasthe same H-type drive line layout. This means that tbedrive is taken from the engine, through the gearbox, to adifferential and then shafts running fore and aft on eitherside of the vehicle which drive the wheels through bevelboxes at each wheel station. Such a drive line layout offerstwo important advantages. First, the use of a singlecentral differential eliminates the possibility of a loss oftraction due to one of the four wheels slipping. Second.the use of parallel shafts on either side of the vehiclemeans that the driver and the engine can be placedbetween them, instead of having to be above the usualdrive shafts running down the centre of vehicles. As aresult, the hull and the whole silhouette of a vehicle withan H-type drive line layout can be made considerablylower than those of other wheeled armoured vehicles-no higher, in fact, than that of an equivalent trackedarmoured vehicle.The suspension of the Ferret is also essentially the

same as that of the Daimler scout car, its wheels beinglocated by pairs of transverse links and sprung by singlecoil springs. The wheels are driven from the bevel boxesin the hull through splined shafts with a Tracta constantvelocity joint at each end but, in contrast to its pre-decessor, the Ferret has epicyclic hub reduction gearswhich reduce the torques imposed on the transmissionshafts.The engine of the Ferret is, however, different and

more powerful than that of its predecessor. As a result,the Mark I has a power-to-weight ratio of27 to 28 b.h.p.per tonne even when fully laden, compared with 17 b.h.p.per tonne of the original scout car. The engine is a Rolls-

Ferret Mark 1 seoul car.

Earl v 1-'(,I"S;OIl 0/ Ferre! Mark: I demonstrating its cross-countrvperfonnancc. (Alvis)

Royce 8.60. a 6-cylinder water-cooled gasoline enginewith a swept volume of 426 litres out of which it hasproduced 116 b.h.p. at 3,300 r.p.m. in its original versionand 129 b.h.p. at 3,750 r.p.m. in its final, 8.60 Mark 6Aversion. As before, the engine is located at the rear of thevehicle and is coupled. through a fluid coupling, to a pre-selective epicyclic gearbox with five speeds all of whichcan be used in reverse as well as forward.Another important difference between the Ferret and

its predecessor is that it has a longer wheelbase, which is229 m. instead of 198 m. This, together with its higherpower-to-weight ratio, has increased its speed overbroken ground and its off-the-road performance hasbeen improved further by the fitting of larger, 900 x 16

(MVEE)


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Ferrel Mark: J scout car with Bren light mach inc-gull. (MVEE)

Ferre! Mork 2 scout car. (MVEE)


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tyres. The lengthening of the wheelbase has beenaccompanied by a lengthening of the hull which made itpossible to sit the driver further forward, in the centre ofthe vehicle, instead of locating him alongside the othercrew member. This, in turn, created more room in thecentre of the vehicle, so that the Ferret could either carryone more man or be fitted with a turret.The hull of the Ferret is also better shaped ballistically

and is of a more efficient, integral construction, whereasthe original scout car still had an armoured bodymounted on a separate underbody which formed a chassisframe. The hull is welded from steel plates varying inthickness from 6 to 16 mm. which protect the crew fromsmall arms fire and shell fragments, except from overheadas the crew compartment of the Mark 1 Ferret is open-topped.

FERRET MARK 2Although it represents a very considerable improvementon the original Daimler scout car, the effectiveness of theMark 1 Ferret has been restricted in many circumstancesby its open top and the exposed mounting of its arma-ment, which consists only ofa 303 in. Bren or a 30 in.Browning light machine-gun on a pintle above the hull.Its development was, therefore, followed by that of theMark 2 which is virtually the same as the Mark 1 but isarmoured all-round and has a turret. The turret is stillonly armed with a 30 in. Browning machine-gun but,nevertheless, it gives the Mark 2 a far better chance ofshooting its way out of trouble. This, in turn, has made

Side view of Ferrel Mark 2 scout car.1I

the Mark 2 more suitable for reconnaissance, for whilethe British Army doctrine expects its reconnaissanceunits to obtain information by stealth rather thanfighting they can not avoid having to fight their way outat times.The reconnaissance role for which the Mark 2 wasdeveloped was clearly recognized by it being designatedCar, Scout, 4 x 4, Reconnaissance (Ferret) Mark 2. Fromthe automotive point of view it did not, however, differfrom the Mark I, except that its fully laden weight was4 32 instead of 417 tonnes. As a result, it was put intoproduction without any prototypes. In fact, the firstproduction version of the Ferret was a Mark 2 which wasdelivered by Daimlers in October 1952, this being twomonths ahead of the delivery of the first productionmodel of the Mark 1.Originally the one-man turret mounted on the Mark 2

was the same as that of the Saracen armoured personnelcarrier which was rushed into service in the early 'fiftiesfor use against Communist terrorists in Malaya. How-ever, its 710 mm. internal diameter was considered toosmall and it was replaced by a somewhat larger turretwith a 760 mm. diameter ring. Otherwise only a fewminor details of the Mark 2 were modified during thetwenty years of its production. Thus, the final Mark 2/3,orF.V.701(H), version which was introduced in the early'sixties differed very little from the original, F. V.70 I(E)model and together they became the most numerous aswell as the most successful form in which the Ferretswere produced.

(MVEE)


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Ferret Mark 1 mounted OJ ! a plutforrn on which ;1 II'{/S dropped byparachute. (MVEE)

Ferrets Mork 2 in service with the British Army in the Far East, (Alvis)

EMPLOYMENTBy the time the production of the Ferrets came to an endin 1971,4,409 had been produced. Although they weredeveloped and originally produced only for the BritishArmy, eventually as many were made for export. Evenmore could have been exported but for the moralizingattitudes of British governments, which prevented thesale of Ferrets to several countries whose internalpolitics did not conform to the lofty notions voiced atWestminster. In spite of this, Ferrets have been used aswidely as any other contemporary armoured vehicle.The British Army used them, in the first instance, inmuch the same way as it used the Daimler scout cars, thatis in its armoured regiments and armoured car regiments.Thus, each armoured regiment has had a reconnaissancetroop of twelve Mark 2 Ferrets and two Ferrets in tbeheadquarters of each of its three armoured squadrons,while the armoured car regiments have had two Mark 2Ferrets, as well as two armoured cars, in each of theirarmoured car troops. In addition, the British Army hashad an air-portable squadron equipped solely with

. . 7 . 1 1 . . . . . . .. .. ,f'. _._N

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Ferrel Mark J /2 seoul car.

Ferrets, and Ferrets have been used by themselves onseveral occasions when heavier armoured vehicles couldnot reach the scene of operations or were not required.Thus, a squadron of the Life Guards equipped withFerrets was flown in July 1955 to what was then the AdenProtectorate when the need first arose to fight theinsurgents there. Similarly Ferrets were the onlyarmoured vehicles which could be delivered sufficientlyquickly, this time by sea, to help British troops quell themutiny of the Tanganyikan Army against its governmentin January 1964. A squadron of Ferrets also formed partof the British contribution to the United Nations policeforces on Cyprus during the late 'sixties, and Ferrets havebeen used extensively for patrolling in many other places,including Northern Ireland. In all these security opera-tions they have been greatly superior to tracked armouredvehicles because they are less noisy and therefore lessfatiguing for their crews, and because they require lessmaintenance, which enables them to operate for longerperiods of time.In addition to the British Army, the Australian,

Canadian and South African Armies also adopted theFerret as their light reconnaissance vehicle, although itsdeliveries to South Africa were limited by a ban imposedby the British government, as were those to Rhodesia.Former British African colonies, such as Kenya, Uganda,Zambia, Nigeria, Ghana and the Sudan all acquiredsome Ferrets and so did Arab countries whose armedforces had been under British influence, namely Iraq,Jordan, Libya and the Persian Gulf sheikdoms.The most significant overseas order came, however, in

the mid-fifties from the French Army which was thenfighting the insurgents in Algeria and urgently neededlight armoured fighting vehicles. Since its withdrawal

(Alvis)

from North Africa the French Army has largely replacedthe Ferrets by the similar but more heavily armedPan hard AML. However, some French units havecontinued to use Ferrets. For instance, a regiment of theForeign Legion stationed in 1970 on Madagascar hadattached to it a squadron of Ferrets.Further examples of how far the use of Ferrets has

spread are provided by Jamaica and by New Zealand.Other countries which have Ferrets include Indonesia,Malaysia, Brunei, Burma, Ceylon and even Somaliawhere there are five Ferrets among a large number ofRussian-built armoured vehicles. Congo also has some,inherited from the United Nations forces which policedit between 1960 and 1964, and used in 1965 by the muchpublicized mercenary commandos in putting downbands of murderous rebels. Ferrets also took part in thesuccessful action of the Nigerian Army against theBiafran separatists in 1967 and 1968.

BIG WHEELED FERRETIn the meantime various efforts were made by theFighting Vehicles Research and Design Establishment(now the Military Vehicles and Engineering Establish-ment) and by Daimlers to develop the Ferrets further.One outcome of this was the development in the late'fifties of the Mark 1/2, or F.V.704. This differed fromthe Mark I, which became the Mark 1/1, in having asuperstructure with an armoured roof over the openingin the centre of the hull. The superstructure increased itsoverall height by 02 m. to 165 m. and its weight by150 kg., but at least it provided all-round protection andmade the Mark 1/2 more suitable for use as a lightreconnaissance vehicle by the infantry. In addition, the


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Ferrel Mork I with deep wading equipment,

Ferrel Mark 2 with inflatable buoyancy hags.


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Ferrer Mark / in foreground and a Ferret Mark l with a built-out hull of reinforced plastic an d polyurethane/nom,

Mark 1/2 has also been used as a commanders' vehiclein Royal Artillery troops.Other developments included several attempts at

improving Ferrets' ability to cross streams and rivers.One of these consisted of the addition of a small collap-sible screen to the top of the hull of a Mark I,whoseengine compartment was also sealed but for a rubberizedfabric duct. As a result the Mark Iould wade to a depthof 15 m., instead of the usual 09 m., but the advantagesof the deep wading equipment were insufficient for it tobe adopted. Another attempt consisted of attaching to aMark 2/3 a flotation kit consisting of three inflatablebuoyancy bags which enabled it to float and be towedacross water obstacles. However, this method was notadopted either.A different approach was used in 1958, aimed atmaking the Ferret inherently amphibious. This involvedbuilding its hull out with rigid polyurethane foamcovered with a glass fibre reinforced plastic skin. A MarkI so modified in January 1959 acquired sufficient buoy-ancy to float, but it only served as the basis of the nextand final step which was to fit the Ferret with a collapsibleflotation screen and reinforced plastics stowage boxesgiving additional buoyancy. Six Mark I were madeamphibious in this way, but the development of theflotation equipment was related more specifically to thatof the Mark 4, or Big Wheeled Ferret.The Mark 4 arose out of the experience with the MarkI and 2 and the requirement that the Ferret should beamphibious. The former showed the need for larger

(Daimler)

brakes and bigger tyres which, together with the need forgreater buoyancy, led to the adoption of a wider tracksuspension with larger 1100 x 20 tyres and disc insteadof drum brakes. At the same time the collapsibleflotation screen was adopted to meet the requirement forswimming across inland water obstacles.The new components could have been fitted either to

the Mark Ior the Mark 2. However, no Big Wheeledversion of the Mark I, which would have been the Mark3, was built. Instead, further development of the Ferretswas concentrated on the Mark 2, which was developedinto the Big Wheeled Mark 4, or F.V.711. The Mark 4came into service with the British Army in 1970 and due

Ferrel Murk 1/3 with fiotation screen. (MVEE)


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o 1meter


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Top left/right and bottom right: 3 views of the Fox.Bottom left: side view of FerretMk. 4.T. Hadler Profile Publications Ltd.


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to its larger diameter tyres and flotation equipmentconstituted a significant advance in cross-countrymobility on the earlier Ferrets.

MISSILE-ARMED FERRETSWork on improving the automotive performance andtactical mobility of the Ferrets was accompanied by themounting in them of more powerful armament. This led,in the first instance, to the Mark 2/6, which is a Mark 2fitted with Vigilant anti-tank guided missiles.Development of the Mark 2/6, or F.V.703, began in1960 and resulted in the mounting of a Vigilant missilecontainer-cum-launcher on each side of the turret and oftwo additional missile containers on the left of the hull,in place of the spare wheel. The Vigilant was originallydeveloped by Vickers-Armstrong Ltd. as a man-portableinfantry anti-tank weapon and like other first-generationmissiles it relies on manual command guidance and atrailing wire link. As a result it can be controlled eitherfrom the vehicle turret or away from it, using the original,infantry-type sight/controller and a separation cable,which means that the missile launching vehicle can bekept under cover in some favourable circumstances. Itsoriginal purpose also made the Vigilant relatively light,

Ferrel Mark 4. (Alvis)

Ferret Mark 4 wishftototion screen erected. (Alvis)

which made it easier to install, but in spite of its lightweight it has a shaped charge warhead capable of pene-trating the armour of battle tanks. In consequence, themounting of Vigilants on Ferrets has greatly increasedthe anti-tank capabilities of armoured car regiments inwhich one of the two Mark 2 Ferrets in each troop wasreplaced in the mid-sixties by a Mark2/6. The air portablesquadron also benefited from the development of theMark 2/6, which forms one half of its strength andenables it to engage battle tanks while equipped withFerrets instead of the earlier air-portable Hornet wheeledlauncher with its clumsy, Australian-developed Malkaramissiles.Although it is effective, the Mark 2/6 has been only amakeshift for a properly designed missile version of theFerret whose development did, in fact, start in 1962. Thenew model was essentially a Mark 4 but with a larger,810 mm. diameter ring turret, the design of whichstarted in January 1963. Instead of steel the new turretwas welded from aluminium alloy extrusions and plates,and the version of the Ferret fitted with it, which wasdesignated the Mark 5, became the first British fightingvehicle with aluminium armour.The turret of the Mark 5, or F.V.7l2, was designed to


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Ferrel Marte 2/6 with Vigilant alii i-tonk guided missiles. (MVEE)

Vigilant anti-tank guided missile fired/rom a Ferret Mark 2/6. (Alvis)

hold four ready-to-fire guided missiles mounted in pairson either side. The missile launching boxes are elevatedfor firing but otherwise the missiles are fully protectedby armour, which represents a considerable advance onthe Mark 2/6 and on earlier missile installations. Inaddition to the turret-mounted missiles two more canbe stowed on the hull and the turret is also fitted with a762 mrn. machine-gun.The missiles mounted in the Mark 5 are the Swingfire

second-generation missiles which were developed specifi-cally for the Royal Armoured Corps by the BritishAircraft Corporation but which are, neverthless, similarin principle to the Vigilant. Thus, they rely on manualcommand guidance and a trailing wire link and can becontrolled either from the turret or from a positionremote from the vehicle. However, the Swingfire is muchmore lethal than the Vigilant, having a larger diameter

shaped-charge warhead, and has a longer, 4,000 metrerange. As a result, the Mark 5 forms a highly effectivelong-range tank destroyer and at one time the productionof several hundred was contemplated. However, only asmall number of the Mark 5 was actually built, the firstcoming into service with the British Army in 1968.The reason why the Mark 5 was not produced in

quantity was a switch by the British Army in the mid-sixties from its well-founded practice of using wheeledreconnaissance vehicles to the development of trackedreconnaissance vehicles. The latter have taken the formof the CVR(T), or Combat Vehicle, Reconnaissance,Tracked, and include the Striker anti-tank guidedweapon vehicle with Swingfire missiles. Originally it wasthought that this vehicle would have the same turret asthe Mark 5 but the Striker was eventually developed intoa turretless vehicle with five ready-to-tire missiles in


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Ferret Mork 5 with mock-up turret for Swingfire missiles.(British Aircraft Corp.)

Ferre! Mark 5 with a Ssvingfirc missile emerging out of its container/launcher (British Aircraft Corp.)

an armoured container which can be elevated but nottraversed. Apart from having one more ready-to-firemissile, the Striker also carries five, instead of two,additional missiles but it is more than 2 tonnes heavierthan the Mark 5.

AVR AND TV 1000The development of the CVR(T) also led to a suc-cessor to the Ferrets, namely the Combat Vehicle,Reconnaissance, Wheeled, or CVR(W). The originsof both the CVR(T) and CVR(W) go back to 1960 whenthe British Army began to consider a successor to theSaladin armoured car which had become its principalarmoured reconnaissance vehicle. This was conceivedas a highly sophisticated vehicle, called the AVR orArmoured Vehicle, Reconnaissance, which would becapable of performing several roles, In consequence itwas to be armed with guided missiles as well as a mediumvelocity 76 or 105 mm. gun and weigh around 13 tonnes.The original AVR design put forward in 1960 by theFighting Vehicles Research and Development Estab-

lishment envisaged a tracked vehicle. However, analternative, 1963 FVRDE design proposed a six-wheeledAVR which was to weigh 136 tonnes and be armed withSwingfire missiles as well as a 76 mm. gun. The designtook two different forms, one being turreted and the otherturretless, which was particularly attractive for areconnaissance vehicle as it reduced its silhouette andthus made it far less conspicuous. In either case, however,the wheeled AVR was to be skid-steered, like a trackedvehicle, instead of being steered like other wheeledvehicles by turning its wheels.Prototype of Ferrel Mark 5 wah missile containers raised into theirfiring position. (Alvis)


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Turretless version 11 . 8a six-wheeled -VR witl kis id-steerin I .designed in 1963.

o

(MVEE)

TV 1000 {est ve hicle w ith .k id-s .Light A VR . S id-steering, with sk id-steerin . .designed in 1964. (MVEE)


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The use of skid steering in the AVR followed theconstruction of a larger test vehicle with skid steering,the TV 1000. This was a 20-tonnes vehicle with sixwheels, with large 1800 X 24 tyres, which could not beturned in relation to the hull but which were driventhrough a Centurion tank transmission with its tripledifferential steering system and a system of chains oneither side of the hull. The TV 1000 was designed in1956-1957 as a possible basis for the development of awheeled tank, its advantage over more conventionalwheeled vehicles being that its hull could be wider inrelation to its overall width because no space had to beprovided for the turning of its wheels. In fact, its hullwas as wide as that of an equivalent tracked vehicle.However, it suffered from the same fundamental disad-vantage as tracked vehicles, namely that it could only besteered by creating a difference between the thrustsgenerated by the wheels on each side. On soft ground,when the soil under the wheels is stressed to its limit, theslewing moment necessary for steering can only beobtained by reducing the thrust on one side of thevehicle, since it is not possible to increase that on theother. Thus, skid-steering is accompanied by a reductionin the total forward thrust and in soft ground leads to acomplete immobilisation of the vehicle. Moreover, theTV 1000 wore its tyres rapidly and, like other skid-steered vehicles, was inherently less stable when runningfast on roads.The proposal for the skid-steered AVR did not get

very far as it was rejected together with that for thetracked AVR in 1963, when both were adjudged tooheavy, particularly from the point of view of air-portability which was considered important because thestrategic planners still imagined that British troops wouldbe required to fly to defend or police different parts ofthe Commonwealth, in spite of its gradual and inevitabledissolution. In consequence, two new proposals wereput forward by FVRDE in 1964. One was for a familyof light tracked vehicles, which was accepted and led tothe Scorpion and other CVR(T)s. The other was for aseries of light, 6 to 8 tonnes, six-wheeled vehicles withskid steering, which was rejected. The decision toreject the second alternative was strongly influenced bytrials conducted in 1964 by the Royal Armoured CorpsSchool of Tank Technology over muddy ground atTyneham in Dorset which demonstrated the funda-mental weakness of the skid-steering of TV 1000.

FOX CVR(W)The decisions in favour of tracked reconnaissancevehicles and against skid-steered wheeled vehicles didnot, fortunately, put an end to further development ofother wheeled vehicles. However, in view of the com-mittment to the CVR(T) family, the development ofwheeled armoured vehicles could only continue on amodest scale. Thus, in 1965, FVRDE proposed that theFerret be developed further. This involved welding itshull out of aluminium armour instead of steel, replacingits Rolls-Royce engine by the more powerful Jaguar XKwhich was adopted at about the same time for theCVR(T), and mounting on it a two-man turret, with a30 mm. gun, which was originally designed for the light-est of the six-wheeled skid-steered AVR designs of 1964.The redesigned vehicle was accepted in 1966 as the FoxCVR(W) and Daimlers proceeded to develop it. As aresult its first prototype was built in November 1967,

Prototype of the Fox with a dummy turret. (MVEE)

which was more than a year earlier than the first CVR(T).Fourteen more prototypes were built by Daimlers

by April 1969 but in the meantime, in August 1968, theuser trials of the Fox had started and in July 1970 it wasaccepted for production for the British Army. Unfort-unately the production order for the Fox did not go toDaimlers but to the Royal Ordnance Factory in Leeds..The latter had established a high reputation for theproduction of battle tanks but by taking the Fox orderfrom Daimlers it deprived British armoured vehicledevelopment of a valuable link with the automotiveindustry, as Daimlers ceased to build armoured vehicleswhen they completed their last order for Ferrets. Thediversion of the Fox order from Daimlers also broke aunique connection between them and armoured vehicleswhich went as far back as the "war car" built by F.R.Simms in 1902 and the very first British tank of 1915,both of which were powered by Daimler engines.

ALUMINIUM ARMOUROne of the most interesting features of the Fox is itsarmour, which makes it the world's first all-aluminiumarmoured car. The armour is of a heat treated, 7039type aluminium-zinc-magnesium alloy similar to thatused in the CVR(T) and second-generation Americanaluminium armoured vehicles. The alloy is used mainlyin the form of rolled plate but extrusions are also usedin the construction of the turret and some particularlyimportant parts are produced by forging. Becausealuminium armour has to be thicker, though not heavier,than steel armour to provide the same degree of pro-tection the hull of the Fox is sufficiently rigid to dispensewith a number of stiffeners required in similar steel-armoured vehicles, which saves weight and cost andhas also improved access to the engine.In addition to being used for the armour of the hull

and turret, aluminium alloys are also used for severalother components of the Fox, including the forgedsuspension wishbones and the cylinder head of the XKengine. The engine is a militarised version of the 42litre 6-cylinder water-cooled Jaguar car engine with alower, 7'75:1 compression ratio to enable it to operateon low octane number gasoline. However, even in itsderated form the XK engine develops 195 b.h.p. at4,750 rev/min and gives the Fox a higher power-to-weight ratio than that of any of the Ferrets.Other automotive characteristics of the Fox are much

the same as those of the Ferret Mark 4, except that ithas power steering. In particular, it has the same type of


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Prototype of the Fox with turret mounting a 30 mm . Rarden gun. (Alvis)

Rear view of a Fox prototype with Radiac mast on the turret. (MVEE)


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Late development version 0/ the Fox with surveillance radar.

Daimler fluid coupling and 5-speed preselective epicy-clic gearbox; spiral bevel directional control gears makeall five speeds available in reverse as well as forward.One of the developments carried over from the Mark 4

Ferret is the permanent installation on the Fox of acollapsible flotation screen which can be erected by thecrew in little more than one minute. When afloat theFox can propel itself at up to 52 km.jhr. by means ofits wheels.The most important difference between the Fox and

its predecessors is its larger turret with a 30mm, Rardengun and a coaxial 762 mm. machine-gun. The turret hasa ring diameter of 127m. which makes it large enough toaccommodate not only a gunner but also a commander,who also acts as a loader. To enable him to observeeffectively from within the vehicle, the commander isprovided with a ring of seven unity magnificationperiscopes around his hatch and a periscopic binocularsurveillance instrument, with a magnification of ten orunity, in a rotating mount. The gunner has two additionalperiscopes as well as a periscopic binocular sight linkedto the armament and a separate passive night sight. Thedriver, who completes the crew of three, has a singlewide-angle periscope.The 30 mm. Rarden gun of the Fox was developedspecially for light armoured vehicles by the Royal

Armament Research and Development Establishmentand the Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield whosecombined initials have given it its name. It was designed

(MVEE)

to fire the well-proved 30 mm. ammunition originallydeveloped in Switzerland by the Hispano Suiza Companyfor automatic anti-aircraft guns but, in addition, it hasbeen provided with APDS ammunition developed inBritain. The APDS projectiles of the Rarden have amuzzle velocity of more than 1,200 mjs which enablesit to defeat the armour of all fighting vehicles, except forthe frontal armour of battle tanks. As it also fires highexplosive shells and can be elevated to 40 degrees forfiring against low flying attack aircraft or helicoptersthe 30 mm. Rarden makes the Fox a most effective lightwheeled armoured vehicle.

VIXEN LIAISON VEHICLEThe development of the Ferrets into the Fox producedwhat was in many ways a modem equivalent of theDaimler armoured car. By the same token it left room forthe development of a successor to the original Daimlerscout car and Ferret Mark 1. In consequence a liaisonvehicle based on the Fox began to be studied in 1968. Atfirst it was intended to have not only the same automotivecomponents as the Fox but also the same hull, with asuperstructure instead of the 30 mm. gun turret. However,the resulting "Tall Fox" would have had an undesirablyhigh silhouette. As a result, another design was producedfor a "Fat Fox" which had a special, lower and widerhull. This was accepted in 1970 as the Vixen CVR(W)Liaison. Thus, when the Royal Ordnance Factory inLeeds received an order in 1971 for producing the Fox


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A Fox prototype demonstrating its ability to climb a sleep slope. (Alvis)Overhead view of a Fox prototype, (Alvis)

it also received an order to build prototypes of the Vixen.Because it does not have a gun turret like the Fox, theVixen can accommodate four, instead of three, men andits hull also provides ample room for different types ofradio equipment. It is also simpler and cheaper than theFox. However, its armament is confined to a single

762 mm. machine-gun, mounted in a small one-manturret originally developed for the F.V.432 trackedarmoured personnel carrier, which makes it no betterin this respect than the Ferret Mark 2. At the same timeit is more than a ton heavier than the Ferret Mark 1 and056 m. higher. In fact, its overall height of 2 m. makes itas high as the tallest of the Ferrets, namely the Mark 4and 5, and not much lower than the Fox.Fox coming ashore with its flotation screen erected. (MVEE)Fox moving at high speed. (Alvis)


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Vehicle

Weight, unladen, tonnesladen,Tyre s izeWheelbase, m.Wheel track, mOverall length, m.width, rn.height, m.Ground clearance, m.Engine, makemodelcapaci ty, [itres,

gross b.h.p.B,h .p. per tonneMax road speed, km.yhRange on roads, kmArmament, gun,machine-punCrew

SUMMARY OF VEHICLE CHARACTERISTICSDaimlerScout CarMark II2643307,00 x 181 ,981473'161 ,711 ,50025Daimler25551788300none,303 in.2

DaimlerArmouredCar Mark I6,257110'5 x 202591 '983962442240'41Daimler40995138030040 mm.792 rnm.3

FerretScout CarMark I3514'22900 x 162291553841911 '45033Rolls- RoyceB.604261162793300none,303 in.2-3

FerretScout CarMark 44735'4011 ,00 x 202291753,962'132,030'41Rolls- RoyceB,604261292480300none762 mm .2

FoxArmouredCar52061211,00 x 202291 ,75417"213225041JaguarXK4261953210033030 mm.762 mm.3

'vehicle only

Overhead view ( ~ rthe Vixen mock-up.

Wooden mock-up oj the Vixen liaison 'Vehicle.

(MVEE)

AcknowledgementsThe author wishes to thank. the Military Vehicles andEngineering Establishment and the Daimler Company Limitedfor information about the history and characteristics of theFerret and Fox [ami!v 0/ wheeled armoured vehicles, Theauthor also wishes to thank the Military Vehicles and Engin-eering Establishment, the Daimler Company Limited, AlvisLimited and the British Aircraft Corporation Guided WeaponsDivision/or their generous help with photographs,All MVEE photographs are Crown Copyright Reserved,

AFV /Weapons Series Editor:DUNCAN CROW

(MVEE)


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A F ' / l e o p o n s P r o f i l e sEdited by DUNCAN CROWFORTHCOMING TITLES:45 Vickers 37-ton Main Battle TankCalled by the Indian Army "Vijayanta " (Freedom) thisMain Battle Tank (the latest in half a century of tankdesign and tank production) was built by Vickers to meetan Indian request for a tank to replace the Centurion asIndia's standard battle tank. It incorporates the Chieftainpower pack, gearbox, steering unit and brakes, and is nowalso being built in India: BY R. M. OGORKIEWlCZ.46 Light Tanks M22 (Locust) andM24 (Chaffee)In appearance rather like a miniature Sherman, the M22,called by the British the Locust, was designed as an air-borne tank for the U.S. Army in World War II. But nonewere used in action by the Americans. The British, however,included some in the Rhine crossing operations of 6thAirborne Division in XVIII U.S. Airborne Corps. TheM24 (Chaffee) though classified as a light tank was equiva-lent to the early British cruisers in weight and superior tothem in armament. Though the Chaffee came in at the tailend of WWII, its days of glory were in Korea where it hadto withstand the onslaught of North Korea's RussianT34!85s at the beginning of that war. I t was still on activeservice in the Indo-Pakistan war in December 1971: BYCOLONEL ROBERT J. ICKS. (M22 is new, M24 is a revisedArmour in Profile.)47 T-34The development of the Russian T -34 tank and the dis-comfiture and surprise of the German Army in finding itspanzers outclassed by the T 34;76 ("the best tank in anyarmy up to 1943" in Guderian's judgment) are describedBY J. M. BRERETON. In the second half of this Profile adescription of the even more powerful T -34,85 with itsincreased firepower, and a critique of the T -34 in service,are given BY MAJOR MICHAEL NORMAN, Royal Tank Regi-ment. (T34/76 is a revised Armour in Profile, T -34/85is new).48 PanzerKampfwagen VI - Tiger I and II"Slow and heavy, large and cumbersome" the Tiger mayhave been, but it was a formidable tank to encounter andcould stand tremendous punishment on its thick frontalarmour. This Profile tells the story of the legendary Tiger -both the Tiger I (SdKfz 181) and the Tiger II or King Tiger(Sd Kfz 182). They had their drawbacks from the logisticand tactical points of view - faults that were rarely apparentto those who had to face them. Also included is the "tankhunter" version of the King Tiger - the Jagdtiger - and anaccount of the super-heavy tank projects, the Maus andthe EIOO. (Tiger I is a revised Armour in Profile, the restis new).

49 Japanese Medium TanksJapanese tank development started from 1925. One of theofficers of the Imperial Japanese Army concerned with thisdevelopment from the very outset was Captain (nowLIEUTENANT-GENERAL) TOMIO HARA. From his own un-rivalled personal experience General Hara in this Profiledescribes the designing, building, and performance ofJapanese medium tanks from Prototype No. I (1925-27)through Type 89 (1929), Type 97 (CHIHA) (1937), Type I(CHIHE) (1940), Type 3 (CHINU) (1943), Type 4 (CHilO)(1943), to Type 5 (CHIRI) (1944). Also included is adetailed explanation of the year/model designation given toJapanese tanks and the abbreviations used in nomen-clatures: BY LIEUT.-GENERAL TOMIO HARA, Imperial JapaneseArmy, Retd.

FUTURE TITLES WILL INCLUDESwiss Pz 61 and 68 Medium TanksPrototypes of the Pz 61, the Swiss Army's Main BattleTank, were built in 1958 and 1959 and pre-productionvehicles with a 90mm gun appeared in 1961: they weredesignated Pz 58. The Pz 58 was then equipped with a105mm gun and went into production as the Pz 61. ThePz 68 is a further development. By R. M. OGORKIEWICZ.The Abbot

The Abbot (FV 433 105mm Field Artillery Self-Propelled)is the first British gun designed specifically for the self-propelled role. It was produced to replace the 25pdr fieldgun and went into troop service in 1965 when the firstregiment to be equipped with it was the 3rd Royal HorseArtillery. This Profile by CHRISTOPHER F. FOSS also includesthe Value Engineered Abbot and the Falcon Anti-AircraftSystem.

The publishers reserve the right to alter sequence of list without notice.The publishers regret that the publication of AFV/Weapons 45 has been delayed owing to circumstances beyond theircontrol. Notice of a publication date will be given as soon as possible.The publishers regret to announce that as from 1 st April 1972 all previously published prices and price lists are cancelled.No price increase has been made since August 1970 but due to the wide range of rising costs since that date, thefollowing recommended retail selling price(s) will apply:AFV/Weapons Series 1-42 inclusive 35p each; 43 onwards 40p each.

If you have any difficulty in obtaining Profiles from your local book or model shop please write direct to:Mail Order/Subscription Department,PROFILE PUBLiCATIONS Ltd, Coburg House, Sheet Street, Windsor, Berks. SL41EB


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Ferret_Fox AFV-Weapons Profile