The Daimler Fighting Vehicles Project

 

Design and Development of the Daimler Fox

Introduction

 

It is not proposed to cover within this project  the ferret or other vehicles designed by Daimler post WW2.  It is the authors arbitrary opinion that the vehicles were not ‘proper Daimlers’ because they featured engines produced by other manufactures!

 

These vehicles are amply covered by some other very good web sites, the links for which are listed at the bottom of  the page.

Design & Development of the Daimler Fox

 

The FV721 Fox Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Wheeled) (CVR(W)) was a 4x4 armoured car deployed by the British Army as a replacement for the Ferret scout car and the Saladin Armoured Car.

 

The Fox was introduced into service in May 1973 and withdrawn in 1993/4.

 

It had a crew of three and had a low profile rotating turret armed with a 30 mm L21 RARDEN cannon which was manually fed with 3 round clips; 99 rounds were carried. A coaxial L37A2 7.62 mm machine gun was mounted with 2,600 rounds.

The weapons were not stabilised.

 

The turret was also equipped with a set of 2 4-barrelled smoke dischargers.

 

The vehicle had a combat weight of 6.75 tonnes and was designed to be air-portable.

The Fox had aluminium armour and was fitted with a flotation screen.

 

It lacked protection against nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

 

Powered by a Jaguar 4.2 litre 6 cylinder multifuel engine, the Fox was one of the fastest vehicles of its type but had a reputation of being unstable at speed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FV722 Fox-Vixen

Un-turreted version, was planned and trialed but never entered production.

An example of the Vixen is held at the Bovington museum.

Fox-Polecat

There was at least one trial version of a Fox chassis mounting the standard UK GPMG one-man turret (as used on the FV432 APC) and possibly one with a larger one man turret mounting a M2 .5in heavy MG.

Both types were proposed for use in Ulster during the 1980's as patrol vehicles.

Fox-Panga

Export version for Malaysia, fitted with Helio FVT-800 machine gun turret. Prototype only.

Fox-Scout

Escort version with 7.62mm machine gun (MAG or Chain gun) and 4,500 rounds. Prototype only.

Fox MILAN

Tankhunter version with MILAN Compact Turret. Prototype only.

Fox 25

Fitted with a 25 mm Chain Gun in a Sharpshooter turret. Crew: 2. Prototype only.

EXTERNAL LINKS, DON’T FORGET TO BOOKMARK www.daimler-fighting-vehicles.co.uk

BEFORE NAVIGATING AWAY