Sonic Blade & Cordless Power Knife ,
History
Intended to be a fast and air-transportable reconnaissance vehicle, the Scorpion is built from mainly aluminium armour and mounts an L23A1 76 mm gun firing high-explosive, HESH, smoke, APDS (Armour-Piercing Discarding Sabot) and canister rounds up to 1600 yards. It can also be fitted with a quick firing 30mm cannon, which proves useful against lightly armored AFV’s (Armoured Fighting Vehicles), and also a 90mm gun for a greater effect. Original models had a Jaguar 4.2 litre petrol engine. This engine was chosen because of its high power to weight ratio. Some customers specified diesel engines. The Perkins diesel engine was chosen, which has shown longer in-service life, and has a reduced risk of fire. All models are capable of 80 km/h. The Scorpion showed outstanding off road capabilities in the Falklands War. The Scorpion is not amphibious however it can drive through water up to 3 and half feet deep.
Two troops from B Sqn of the Blues and Royals each comprising two Scorpion and two of the similar Scimitar saw active service in the Falklands War of 1982, (along with one Samson armoured recovery vehicle) and provided the only armoured assets of the British landing force. With a ‘footprint’ much lighter than that of a main battle tank, it was one of the few vehicles capable of operating in the extremely boggy conditions of East Falkland, and did so very well, due to possessing a ground pressure of approximately four pounds per square inch (actually less than that of a walking infantryman). At least one Scimitar was seriously damaged by an Argentine landmine, but the crew were unscathed, and the vehicle was salvaged by Chinook HC.1 helicopterand soon brought back into service by the attached REME section. Both tactical and strategic commanders have stated that a larger number of CVR(T) would have aided and shortened the campaign greatly, with possibly reduced casualties[citation needed]. Its cross country ability was demonstrated in a recorded incident where a commander jumped from his vehicle and sank into the boggy ground (wheeled vehicles being almost no use away from established roads).[citation needed]
The Scorpion has been withdrawn from British Army service and the refurbished hulls have been mated with surplus turrets from the FV 721 Fox CVR(W) wheeled reconnaissance vehicle to form a composite vehicle, to create the 30mm RARDEN cannon armed Sabre, which is very similar in appearance to the Scimitar. The chief reason for this was that the obsolescent 76mm gun was not found to be as effective or efficient in engaging enemy light armour/miscellaneous targets as the flat-trajectory 30mm cannon. Some small armies such as the Botswana Defense Force and the Irish Army, and notably the larger Philippine Army, continue to use Scorpion units, in some cases up-armed retroactively with 90mm Cockerill guns (see below). A small number are in use at BATUS in Canada as part of OPFOR representing 125mm gun armed T-80-type vehicles, with the main armament barrel replaced with plastic drainpipe, and known as “Salamanders”.
User , solar fountain pump .
Scorpion tank and its Scimitar/Sabre/Scorpion-90 variants operators. Current operators are in bright red, former operators are in dark red , portable solar generator .
Belgium - Belgian Army - (701 Scorpions and variants, all withdrawn)
Botswana - Botswana Defence Force
Brunei - Royal Brunei Land Forces
Chile - Chilean Navy (Infantera de Marina - Chilean Marines)
Honduras - Honduras Army
India - Indian Army
Indonesia - Indonesian Army - 100 Scorpion 90
Iran - Iranian Army (ex. Imperial Iranian Army) 80 in service
Ireland - Irish Army (14 in service, one is being upgraded for trials)
Jordan - Royal Jordanian Land Force
Malaysia - Malaysian Army - 26 Scorpion 90
New Zealand - New Zealand Army
Nigeria - Military of Nigeria - 140 in service
Oman - Royal Army of Oman
Philippines - Philippine Army - 42 Scorpions
Spain - Spanish Marines(all 17 transferred to Chile)
Thailand - Royal Thai Army- 154+
Venezuela - Army of Venezuela - (90 Scorpions 78 FV101-C.90 +6 FV104 +2 FV105 +4 FV106)
United Kingdom
British Army
RAF Regiment
Australia - Turret only - mounted on M113AS1 to form Medium Reconnaissance Vehicle (MRV)
Variants
The Scorpion/Scimitar in the US Army field recognition manual.
Irish Army Scorpion at Military parade in Dublin (2006)
Scorpion 90 - This export version is armed with the long-barreled Cockerill M.k3 M-A1 90mm gun, fitted with a prominent muzzle brake. It was purchased by the Indonesian, Malaysian and Venezuelan armed forces.
Scorpion Turret used in Australian MRV
The Scorpion turret was also mounted on the M113AS1 (the Australian version of the M113), the resulting vehicle being known as the Medium Reconnaissance Vehicle (MRV). MRVs were issued to Royal Australian Armoured Corps reconnaissance regiments.
The MRV also featured the water heater/cooker from the Scorpion.
Like the Saladin turret Fire Support Vehicle (FSV) before it, the MRV was colloquially known as a “Beast” or “the Beast”.
Related vehicles using the same (or similar) hull include:
FV102 Striker anti-tank guided weapon carrier
FV103 Spartan armoured personnel carrier
FV104 Samaritan armoured ambulance
FV105 Sultan command post vehicle
FV106 Samson armoured recovery vehicle
FV107 Scimitar armoured reconnaissance vehicle
Sabre - Scorpion chassis retro-fitted with a turret from the Fox Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle
These vehicles are collectively known as the CVR(T) - Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) - family.
Production
A total of approximately 4,000 vehicles of the CVR(T) family had been manufactured in the UK and Belgium by the time production ceased in the mid-1990’s.
See also
AVGP Canadian wheeled armoured vehicle using the Scorpion turret.
References
^ Parliamentary Debates, House of Commons, July 4, 2006, columns 912W913W
^ The World’s Fastest Tank. (Digest) - FindArticles
^ Andrew Jones, British Armor in the Falklands, ARMOR, March 1983 pp 26-27
^ Nigerian Army Equipment.
Jane’s Armour & Artillery 1989-90, Jane’s information Group, editor Christopher F. Foss
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: FV101 Scorpion
British Army museum
Janes Land Forces
History of the development of the series
v d e
Post-WWII British AFVs
Wheeled
Ferret Scout Car Fox Reconnaissance Vehicle Saladin Armoured Car Saracen APC FV1611 “Pig” Saxon Mastiff PPV Husky TSV
APCs and IFVs
FV432 Warrior FV103 Spartan Stormer FV104 Samaritan FV105 Sultan Viking
Light tanks and
anti-tank vehicles
FV 4101 Charioteer FV301 FV101 Scorpion FV107 Scimitar Sabre FV102 Striker FV438 Swingfire
SP artillery
FV433 Abbot AS-90 MLRS
Main battle tanks
Centurion Conqueror Chieftain Challenger 1 Challenger 2
UK unarmoured or non-fighting vehicles
Categories: Light tanks | Tanks of the Cold War | Reconnaissance vehicles | Tanks of the United Kingdom | Military equipment of the Philippines | Falklands War vehicles | Alvis vehiclesHidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from June 2007
