Alvis FV101 Scorpion

History of the Alvis FV101 Scorpion

In the 1960s, the British Army adopted a tracked family concept known as the Tracked Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (CVR-T), which spawned a series of lightweight systems, all manufactured under the Alvis Vehicles Limited brand. One such product is the Scorpion light tank for rapid armed reconnaissance with a crew of at least three. Scorpion entered service with the British Army in 1973 and remained in service until 1993, with around 3,000 prototypes delivered. Combat history spans the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, the Falklands War in 1982, and the Gulf War in 1991. Operators eventually surpassed the UK (1,500 tanks), including Belgium, Chile, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Malaysia, Spain, Thailand and Venezuela, among others.

Although the tank is no longer in British service, it can still be found in the inventories of foreign powers.

The Scorpion is a 9-ton vehicle with a sprocket arrangement with five wheels on each side of the hull. The drive sprocket is in the front, the chain idler is in the rear, and the chain idler is not installed. Dimensions include a length of 17.4 feet, a width of 7 feet, and a height of 7 feet, making it a formidable battlefield system.

In fact, it was designed for the airlift of two people in the belly of a Lockheed C-130 Hercules. Her crew of three included the driver, commander and gunner. The driver sits on the front left of the fuselage, with the power pack to his right. The remaining two crew members are located in 360-degree traversable turrets along the rear of the fuselage superstructure.

Armor protection against heavy small arms (12.7mm) fire and made of welded aluminium. The vehicle is amphibious in nature and requires some preparation by the crew to raise the flotation screen before entering the water source. NBC kits (nuclear, biological, chemical) are standard.

As a light tank, the Scorpion was equipped with a 76mm L23A1 Royal Armouries series main gun - later named "Scorpion 90 / Scorpion II", an upgrade of the Cockerill Mk III M-A1 90-mm main gun, the light tank in more threatening on the battlefield. The coaxial 7.62mm L43A1 machine gun is part of the turret armament.

An optional 7.62mm can be mounted to a turret roof hatch. Eight smoke grenade launchers (four in two rows) are located on each face of the turret. The original Scorpion turret was reborn as a "Cougar" in the Canadian MOWAG Piranha 6x6 vehicle.

Vehicle is powered by a 190 hp Cummins BTA diesel engine mated to a David Brown TN15 series drivetrain. Suspension is achieved with a torsion bar setup. Overall, the Scorpion can reach road speeds of 45 miles per hour and an operating range of up to 470 miles.

Originally, the design was powered by a Jaguar J60 petrol engine.

British Scorpions flew combat missions during the 1982 Falklands War and the 1991 Gulf War, where their speed and fire support capabilities were put to good use.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

40 x 76mm projectile.

3,000 x 7.62mm ammo.

8 x Smoke Grenade.

Changes