04/30/2012. The first all-metal aircraft built by the Fairey company was the Ferret, originally designed to British Naval Aviation Command Specification 37/22 for a reconnaissance aircraft, but in the end proposed to the British Air Force as a multi-purpose biplane.

Three prototypes were built, of which the Ferret Mk.I (N190 c/n F.538, first flown in 1925) and the Ferret Mk.II consisted of three-seat aircraft (as required by the Naval specification).

The Ferret Mk.III (N192 c/n F.540, first flown in 1927) was a two-seat aircraft, with a 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun in the right fuselage and a 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis machine gun installed in the rear cockpit; a bomb load up to 500 lb (227 kg) could be carried under the wings.

The Ferret Mk.I was powered by a 400 hp Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IV fourteen-cylinder two-row air-cooled radial engine, while the Mk.II and Mk.III were powered by a 425 hp Bristol Jupiter nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, and had greater wing span.

During testing at Martleshem Heath the aircraft showed satisfying flight data, but it failed to gain orders.