CVR(T) 23B Scimitar

Country: British

Entered Service: 1973

Crew: 3 – Commander,Gunner,Driver

Weight: 7.8 tons

Dimensions: Length – 4.39m

Armament: Main – 30mm/1.18 Rarden cannon

Powerplant: Jaguar 4.2 Petrol/190hp

Performance: Speed – Approx – 50mph.

It’s History…

The FV107 Scimitar is an armoured tracked military reconnaissance vehicle used by the British Army. Two troops from B Squadron, Blues and Royals served in the Falklands War. One troop was equipped with two Scorpions and Two Scimitars.
These CVR(T)s were the only armoured vehicles used in action by the British Army during the Falklands conflict. At least one Scorpion was seriously damaged by an Argentinian landmine, but the crew were unscathed, and the vehicle was recovered by a Chinook HC.1 helicopter.

The FV107 has a crew of three, including commander, gunner, and driver. This armoured vehicle was originally powered by a Jaguar 4.2-litre petrol engine. However later, the Scimitars were refitted with Cummins diesel engines, developing 195 hp. This increased operational range and improved survivability.

Our two Scimitars 23B and 23C, were manufactured by Alvis, weighing 7.8 Tonnes and has a top speed of approximately 50 mph. The FV107 Scimitar uses the same gun as used by the Fox wheeled armoured reconnaissance vehicle. It is armed with a 30 mm L21A Rarden cannon and coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun. The 30 mm cannon fires single rounds or in automatic mode and has a maximum rate of 90 rounds per minute.

23B
In a remarkable coincidence, just months after the restoration of 23 Alpha, the Falklands ‘Victory’ Scorpion, was completed, its sister vehicle, Scimitar 23 Bravo, was also found by the team at Eden Camp and it too was ‘rescued’.
The FV 107 Scimitar, nicknamed ‘Ferocious’ also had a distinguished record in the Falklands with the Blues and Royals. In one incident the vehicle dropped into a deep gully injuring its driver. The driver, already injured earlier when working on the tank, ignoring his serious head wound, (his colleagues called it ‘hatch rash’), got the vehicle out of trouble and completed the mission during a crucial engagement before seeking medical help. He received a Commendation for his courage.
After some months in the Falklands following the Argentine surrender, 23 Bravo was brought back to the UK and refurbished with a new diesel engine. Later in its life, instead of being relegated to overseas training duties like, 23 Alpha, in 1996 it was sent to Bosnia on active service with IFOR with the Blues and Royals.

See 23 Bravo’s Sister, The Scorpion, in the Video Below!