Ukrainian army to get ex-British army CVR(T) Scorpion armored reconnaissance vehicles.

Ukraine’s crowdfunding campaign has put out an international call to crowd-fund to buy a fleet of Scorpion light tanks for the Ukrainian army. The Armored Turtle team launched a campaign to solicit donations to buy CVR(T) Scorpion armored reconnaissance vehicle, sometimes classed as a light tank.
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Ex-British army Alvis CVR(T) Scorpion and Scimitar for sale at the War & Peace Show 2018 in the UK (Picture source: Army Recognition)

Earlier in 2023, Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation’s crowdfunding campaign successfully raised more than $6,4 million to buy Scorpion FV101 CVR(T) tracked armored vehicles for the Ukrainian Army. “We have found absolutely complete tanks! This means that in addition to armor, the vehicle has a 76mm cannon and sight sensors,” the message added. “This is a light reconnaissance tank “Scorpion” which has a number of unique features! Lightweight due to unique aluminum armor. High speed of 90 km/h, low profile, a quite powerful gun.”

Coincidentally (?), the British website milweb.net, widely known by military vehicle collectors, published an ad, a few months ago, by which the announcer was seeking to buy CVR(T)s.

Coincidentally (?), the British website milweb.net, widely known by military vehicle collectors, published an ad, a few months ago, by which the announcer was seeking to buy CVR(T)s. (Picture source: Army Recognition)

The CVR(T) was designed to be lightweight and highly mobile, making it ideal for conducting reconnaissance and surveillance operations on the battlefield. It was the lead vehicle and the fire support type in the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked), CVR(T), a family of seven armored vehicles. Manufactured by Alvis, it was introduced into service with the British Army in 1973 and was withdrawn in 1994. More than 3,000 were produced and used as reconnaissance vehicles or "light tanks".

The original engine was the Jaguar J60 Mk 100b 4.2-litre 6-cylinder-in-line petrol engine, which was replaced by a Cummins or Perkins diesel engine. The maximum speed was about 50 mph (80 km/h) and it could accelerate from standing to 30 mph (48 km/h) in 16 seconds. It holds the Guinness world record for the fastest production tank with its Diesel engine, recorded doing 82.23 km/h (51.10 mph) at the QinetiQ vehicle test track, Chertsey, Surrey, on 26 January 2002. (the original Jaguar engine enabled the vehicle to reach 100+ km/h!). The Irish engineering company IED replaced the Jaguar engine in Irish Army Scorpions with a Steyr M16 TCA HD engine (6-cylinder, 145 kW), making the Scorpion more powerful and more reliable in critical environments.

The maximum speed on water (with the flotation screen deployed) was 3.6 mph (5.8 km/h).

The Scorpion FV101 is armed with the low velocity 76 mm L23A1 gun, which could fire high-explosive, HESH, smoke and canister rounds. Storage was provided for 40 or 42 rounds. A 7.62 mm coaxial L7 GPMG (3,000 rounds carried) was also fitted, as were two multi-barrelled smoke grenade dischargers, one on each side of the turret. The main armament has an elevation of 35 degrees and a depression of 10 degrees; the turret has a full 360-degree traverse. The traverse was however hand-cranked, a cost-saving feature that made the turret relatively slow and laborious to traverse relative to other vehicles of its type. This gun was later deemed to be unsatisfactory, as RAF testing showed that the lack of a fume extraction system caused toxic fumes to enter the fighting compartment, endangering the crew's health.

The FV101 was a very light armored vehicle, weighing in at a mere 8 tonnes. This meant some compromises had to be made on protection. The vehicle had 12.7 mm of sloped aluminum armor, giving an average effective thickness of 25 mm. The FV101 had all-around protection from shell fragments and 7.62 mm rounds, and the heavily sloped frontal arc was designed to be resistant to 14.5 mm rounds fired from 200 m (660 ft). The initial manufacture of the aluminium armour resulted, after time and effects of the environment, in failure; "Stress Corrosion Cracking" (SCC) which seriously affected all early builds.

The vehicle was fitted with a nuclear, biological, and chemical protection system, image intensification sights for the gunner and driver, and a floatation screen. A commode[clarification needed] was located under the commander's seat. An internal water tank and a boiling vessel for cooking and heating water were also provided.

The Scorpion was used extensively by the British Army during the Cold War and saw action in the Falklands War in 1982. It has also been exported to a number of other countries, including Belgium, Jordan, and Malaysia. Although it has since been retired from British service, it remains in use in some countries around the world.

Defense News April 2023