Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked)

Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked)
Scorpion/Scimitar recognition guide
Type	Reconnaissance Anti–tank Armoured personnel carrier Ambulance Command and control Recovery vehicle
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Production history
Designer	Alvis[1]
Designed	1967
Produced	1970
Variants	FV101 Scorpion c. 3000 built FV102 Striker 350 FV103 Spartan 967 FV104 Samaritan 101 FV105 Sultan FV106 Samson 136 FV107 Scimitar over 600 Sabre 325 + several hundred Alvis Stormer over 220
Specifications
Mass	17,800 lb (8.074 tonnes)[1]
Length	4.79 m (15 ft 9 in)[1]
Width	2.23 m (7 ft 4 in)[1]
Height	2.102 m (6 ft 10.8 in)[1]
Crew	Between three and seven depending on variant

The Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked), abbreviated CVR(T), is a family of armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) developed in the 1960s and is in service with the British Army and others throughout the world. They are small, highly mobile, air-transportable armoured vehicles, originally designed to replace the Alvis Saladin armoured car.^[2]

Designed by Alvis in the 1960s, the CVR(T) family includes Scorpion and Scimitar light reconnaissance tanks, Spartan armoured personnel carriers (APC)s, Sultan command and control vehicle, Samaritan armoured ambulance, Striker anti–tank guided missile vehicle and Samson armoured recovery vehicle. All members of the CVR(T) family were designed to share common automotive components and suspension; aluminium armour was selected to keep the weight down.^[3][4] By 1996, more than 3,500 had been built for British Army use and export.^[5]

Scorpion, Scimitar, and Striker have now been withdrawn from British Army service.^[6]