Happy Friday! Today we are highlighting our Ferret armored car!
During the Second World War, Great Britain had begun to rely on small, armored cars (Daimler Dingo) to assist tank battalions on reconnaissance and patrol missions.
Thus, in the late 1940s, the British military commissioned Daimler Company Limited to build more modern armored vehicles to fit their needs.
Thus, Daimler came out with the Ferret armored car, also known as the Ferret scout car.
The first scout car prototypes arrived in 1949, but they were not put into service until 1952. The Ferret was equipped with a B60 Rolls-Royce petrol engine (130 horsepower), bulletproof armor, and a top speed of 58 miles per hour.
It could be equipped with six grenade launchers and a machine gun (7.62 mm Browning or 7.7 mm Bren). Some more recent models were armed with anti-tank missile launchers.
Typically, this small vehicle could only carry at most two crew members, a commander, and a radio operator/gunner.
Three Ferrets would accompany a tank battalion for reconnaissance missions during combat. Additionally, in peacetime, Ferrets were used to guard places of government or military bases in addition to border patrol.
Ferrets were so effective that they were used by Great Britain, Canada, Sri Lanka, Australia, and even France. They are currently used by Ukraine, Qatar, as well as India, and many more.
Ferrets have also been involved in such wars as the Algerian War, Operation Desert Storm, and most recently the Ukraine-Russian War.
In our part of the world, it is largely unknown, but in other places, it is a necessary military vehicle!
Over 4,000 Ferrets were produced, and we are lucky enough to be exhibiting one at our museum!
One of our favorite things is that on school tours, we let kids get inside this unique car to see what it is like to be on a reconnaissance mission in an armored vehicle.
It is one of the most unique vehicles in our collection!
If you haven’t ever seen one in person, make sure you stop by our museum for a visit!