FV 101 SCORPION

The FV101 Scorpion is a modern British light reconnaissance tank. The first prototypes were built in 1969, and serial production, started in 1972, lasted until the early 1990s. In total, more than 3,000 copies of this tank were made. The FV101 Scorpion is powered by a gasoline engine Jaguar J60 or the Cummins 6BTA diesel engine with 190 HP each. The vehicle is armed with a single cannon L23A1 76 mm caliber and 1 L43A1 machine gun 7.62 mm. Tank The FV101 Scorpion was created in response to the British Army's need for a new light and reconnaissance tank. The contact for this task was signed with Alvis in 1967. When designing the FV101 Scorpion, the emphasis was placed on the smallest dimensions of the vehicle (the maximum height is only 2.1 m!), Facilitating hidden operations, wide mobility with the possibility of transporting the tank by air via the C-130 Hercules plane and possibly strong artillery armament in the form of a 76 mm caliber cannon. All these features, combined with the high mechanical efficiency of the entire structure, made the FV101 Scorpion a great export success for Alvis, which sold its structure to many countries, including: Belgium, Brunei, Chile, Oman and Venezuela. A far-reaching development of the FV101 Scorpion, the FV107 Scimitar is armed with the 30mm RARDEN L21 autocannon, using the same chassis and many other elements as the FV101. The FV101 Scorpion light tank took part in the Falklands War (1982), the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) and in Operation Desert Storm (1990-1991).