tdayof:


Where are you in the picture? We know you're there

Crazypilot:
I am not there o, that's an old picture na

Hrmnn:
Ferrets of the Parabats.

In the 1960s they were relegated to storage in Grahamstown as a result of the Eland programme. Many were brand new, less than ten years old and had barely been driven. In my opinion the decision to mothball the entire Ferret fleet in favour of the redundant Elands was one of the most wasteful things the old defence force ever did.

Don't get me wrong here, I love the Eland and it was superior to the Ferret in almost every way except some aspects of mechanical reliability (gearboxes and bevel boxes on the Ferret gave much fewer problems, despite being very similar to the same ones on the AML/Eland).

However, if you spend a fortune buying 200+ brand new armoured cars straight off the production line, you cannot then begin replacing them with an identical vehicle less than six years later, and literally have them all out of service by ten years later. That is an incredible waste of money and logistics and to this day I am convinced it was a political decision made by the National Party, which was trying to cozy up to France as their new arms supplier at the time after relations with the U.K. cooled.

In the late 1970s the Ferrets were reactivated by 44 Parachute Brigade and fitted with Recoilless rifles and MILAN ATGMs. They were modified to be airdropped.

As part of Exercise Magersfontein in 1988 the Parabat Ferrets were tested in a mock airborne assault off Walvis Bay. It was strongly implied at the time that Exercise Magersfontein was to test tactics which might be used against the Cubans if they crossed into South West Africa.

The Cubans never came, and the Ferrets were retired for the final time at some point between 1989 and 1994.

I read a news headline in the early 1990s which mentioned the SADF had sold off some to Malawi, but that is the last I ever heard of them.

Presumably most shared the same fate as most of the noddies and were cut up for scrap by Armscor's disposal division.

One is currently at the War Museum in Joburg, one or two are at the Bats museum in Tempe, and two or three are at the Armour Corps Museum (also Tempe). One of those is running and may be the only operational example left in RSA; someone posted a photo of it on this thread earlier.

61mech:
The Ferrets were supposed to be replaced by the Mechem Iron Eagle. They just ran out of money before it could be done. Just like all the other projects at the time.

Here's a link to a guy in England who's restoring one that was sold to Alvis.

http://www.warwheels.net/Acorn_IE_ScarabScoutINDEX.html

nemesis2u:


i like this Scarab
any info

61mech:
Was developed in SA to replace the Ferret for the parabats as a fire support/recon vehicle. It was planned to mount quick-change pallet-mounted main armament (M40 106mm recoilless, Milan ATGM, 81mm M3 mortar, R107 MLRS), pintle-mount 7.62mm MG4 on right side.

61mech:
The Ferrets were supposed to be replaced by the Mechem Iron Eagle. They just ran out of money before it could be done. Just like all the other projects at the time.

Here's a link to a guy in England who's restoring one that was sold to Alvis.

http://www.warwheels.net/Acorn_IE_ScarabScoutINDEX.html

Ironically, the SANDF then went and made exactly the same mistake in the 90's when they got rid of the Eland90's.
A upgraded Eland with denel's fire ctrl. made for that turret and a 2.4 diesel would be perfect for peacekeeping in Africa.
C-130 transportable with just enough firepower to deal with rebels on landcrousers.

Hrmnn:


While the Iron Eagle seems to have done well as an air droppable fire support vehicle concept, would it have been possible to replace the Ferret with the Eland?

Since the funding for the Iron Eagle was pulled, substituting a preexisting vehicle would be preferential, and large numbers of Elands would've been available as they were being replaced by the Rooikat in the 1990s.

The Israelis and the French Foreign Legion seemed to deploy AMLs pretty successfully in the airborne role, so there was already a precedent for it.

61mech:
The Ferrets were supposed to be replaced by the Mechem Iron Eagle. They just ran out of money before it could be done. Just like all the other projects at the time.

Here's a link to a guy in England who's restoring one that was sold to Alvis.

http://www.warwheels.net/Acorn_IE_ScarabScoutINDEX.html

Ironically, the SANDF then went and made exactly the same mistake in the 90's when they got rid of the Eland90's.
A upgraded Eland with denel's fire ctrl. made for that turret and a 2.4 diesel would be perfect for peacekeeping in Africa.
C-130 transportable with just enough firepower to deal with rebels on landcrousers.
Wow a lot of Stuff went to waste.The Elands are being used right now in Nigeria.

IbnSultaan:
Nasrulminallah

IbnSultaan:
US is to North America
What
Germany is to Europe
...... is to Africa

tdayof:


You wan cause trouble

IbnSultaan:
Who no come no go know

Henry240:
..

tdayof:

Any casualty?

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