Description
In contrast to the lightly armed & protected Mark 1, the Mark 2 was designed from the outset to mount a .30" Browning in a one-man fully traversable turret, at the cost of one crew member. While this offered better crew protection & protected the otherwise dangerously exposed gunner, the turret raised the height of the vehicle & 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 & 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 & fast enough to be useful in an urban environment, but sufficiently strong & 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 & has proven popular with private collectors due to the compact size & affordable price, e.g. around $20,000 to $30,000 in the United States, $40,000 to $60,000 in Australia & New Zealand & around $9,000 in the Czech Republic. Mark 1 & 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. Ferret Mk.ii Armored Car
