Ferret Mk.II Armored Car

In contrast to the lightly armed and 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 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.

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.

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.