FV107 Scimitar

This article is about the armoured vehicle. For other uses, see Scimitar (disambiguation).

FV107 Scimitar
Type	Armoured reconnaissance vehicle
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
Wars	Falklands War, Gulf War, Bosnian war, Kosovo, 2nd Gulf War, Afghanistan
Production history
Manufacturer	Alvis
Specifications
Weight	7.8 tonnes
Length	4.9 m
Width	2.2 m
Height	2.1 m
Crew	3
Armour	aluminium armour
Primary armament	30 mm L21 RARDEN cannon
Secondary armament	Coaxial 7.62 mm L37A1 MG
Engine	Cummins BTA 5.9 diesel 190 hp (142 kW)
Suspension	Torsion bar
Operational range	450 km
Speed	50mph (80km/h)

FV107 Scimitar is an armoured reconnaissance vehicle (sometimes classed as a light tank) used by the British Army. It is very similar to the FV101 Scorpion but mounts a high velocity 30 mm L21 RARDEN cannon instead of a 76 mm cannon. It was issued to Royal Armoured Corps, Armoured Regiments in the Reconnaissance role. Each Regiment had a Close Reconnaissance Squadron of 5 Troops of 8 FV107 Scimitar.

Development

The FV107 Scimitar is one of the CVR(T) series of vehicles and entered service in 1971.

Initially the engine was the Jaguar J60 4.2 litre 6-cylinder petrol engine the same as used by several Jaguar cars. This has now been replaced by a Cummins BTA 5.9 diesel engine in British Army Scimitars, under the CVR(T) Life Extension Program (LEP).

As with the FV101 Scorpion, the Scimitar saw active service with the Blues and Royals in the Falklands War of 1982. It was also used by British forces on UN and NATO peacekeeping duties in the Former Yugoslavia, Iraq and is currently being used in Afghanistan.

Additional specification

• Ground clearance: 0.35 m
• Main armament: 30 mm L21 RARDEN cannon. (Fires at up to 90 rounds per minute)
• Ammunition types:
  • High Explosive Incendiary (HEI)
  • High Explosive (HE)
  • Armour Piercing (AP)
  • APSE (Armour Piercing Secondary Effects)
  • Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot-Tracer (APDS-T)
• Additional defence: 2 x 4 barrel smoke launchers.
• Ammunition stores:
  • 30 mm caliber — 165 rounds
  • 7.62×51 NATO — 2,000 rounds (official but in practice as many 200 round boxes as can be stored).
  • As with all UK Armoured vehicles, it is equipped with a forced air system, so the crew can lock down in a CBRN environment, for this reason they are equipped with a boiling vessel BV, to cook and make hot drinks, it also has a hole in the center of the commander's seat that can be used as a toilet.

Operators

• United Kingdom: 325

The Scimitar is used by the five formation reconnaissance regiments of the British Army. Each regiment has three squadrons each of 12 Scimitars, The Household Cavalry Regiment has an extra squadron to support 16 Air Assault Brigade.

It is also used by the Royal Air Force, in the Bomb Disposal role, giving protection to crews clearing unexploded ordnance. In this employment, the 30mm Rarden gun is used for "projectile attack" (shooting at unexploded bombs to destroy them).

• Belgium: 141, withdrawn from active service in 2005.

Preservation

The odd example of these vehicles appear in the Military vehicles section at steam fairs & classic vehicle shows in the UK, as a few examples have been bought by collectors for use in war games or tank driving experience days & corporate hospitality / traing centres. Others are displayed by the territorial army or cadet units on their promotional stands.

See also

• CVR(T) (combat vehicle reconnaissance - tracked) family of vehicles.
• Military vehicles

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

FV107 Scimitar

• FV107 Scimitar on British Army website
• ArmyRecognition Scimitar pictures
• FV107 Scimitar