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@@JosephKano nope but it could be, it might only have a 7.62 on it right now but the Ukrainians have already shown themselves to be geniuses at field modifications, and they've captured a huge amount of Russian weaponry that I'm sure they could find a way to bodge onto this thing, like 12.7mm "Dushkas"
There is up side that isn't really mentioned. Its small af. You're driving down the road, you pass a van, boom surprise! Whole ass British Armour was parked behind it! That bush? British Armour. That rock? British Armour. Your Mother? Nah, British Armour. Really good for ambushes or sneaky pushes. Perfect for recon, and interception. Such as intercepting supply lines.
Reminds me of the german Wiesel AWC. To my understanding you can legally drive it with your normal car driver license (class B) and you could park it in your garage.
@Alex Jones do you mean ‘globalist’ or ‘globetard’ I only ask coz the earth ain’t flat! And if I’m a globalist, clearly you’re not a fan, then you must be a…nationalist! Oops did I just say that!
I was a driver of the spartan during the cold war. We used it as our 3-man air defence unit. Basically on our own, we could very quickly hide the vehicle and deploy our Javelin missiles...and just as quickly disappear. The most important piece of equipment in the cvrt is the BV...no squaddie will do anything without tea :)
I was British Army and these vehicles were tested in Germany whilst I was there. I particularly remember one day a driver of one of them advised he had been flagged down by the German civilian police and given a ticket for speeding. Previously our tanks, Chieftains, were limited to just over 30 mph and to have a new tank that could be ticketed for speeding at closer to 60 mph was a great novelty. The driver was treated to beer all evening!
Nice story. I remember when one of the Norwegian Skjold class corvette HNoMS Skjold, when it was still an prototype, was visiting USA. One day they decide to travel up Mississippi , with an US delegation, including an US General, they was very interested in what the Norwegian's was doing. That day HNoMS received a speeding ticket by the US police, for driving to fast on the Mississippi! It's not often you experience a warship doing more than 60 knots, while armed with cannons and missiles!
I was in the 9/12 Lancers in BAOR (Detmold) in the early 1970’s . Joined as as a Driver/Operator. The only way to get a Chieftain over 30 MPH was on a very steep hill. Or on a train! We later went the route of CVRT family and although the would go at ridiculous speeds, they were prone to throwing tracks at anything over about 55mph. I wouldn’t like to be inside one though if a Russian 12.7mm opened up on the vehicle.
I wasa CVR(t) Scorpion instructor in my cavalry squadron. 76mm cannon mounted on this chaise. Excellent vehicle, very fast, great cross country capability. And the 76 cannon was magnificent. About to retire now after 33 years service. Wouldn't have swapped my career for the world. I hop o helped people along the way. That's why I became a soldier, to help people.
I served on Spartan in Iraq. It's fucking awesome chaps, believe no bollocks. 50 mph off road no probs. Best RECCE vehicle ever. Dogshit electronics but easily upgradeable
I cringe every time I see the british stealing that Boer afrikaans lingo. Commando, Recce, you know the Boer that Britain put into the first concentration/death camps that ever existed. Killing a big chunk of their women and children that way as britain couldnt defeat the Boer in War
@@AbuHajarAlBugatti I cringe every time I see someone using English to form a full sentence then complaining about English people using 1 word that apparently doesn't belong to them. Especially when they come from a 3rd world country.
I doubt they will make upgrades in Ukraine though. This will add to the logistics nightmare that 50 different foreign vehicles must have created for a wounded Ukranian logistics maintanence system. many kinds of new types of ammo won´t make it easier. I will be very surpried if more than 50% will ever run for more than a week. The rest will be waiting ages for the right spare part to arrive. Meanwhile they will receive a lot of the wrong spare parts. Many will be detroyed by the Ukranian to prevent the rusian from taking them. Not that I really believe the russians have any use for them.
Fun fact - this tank used to finish its test run back to the factory on the road past my primary school. Funny to see the lollipop lady stopping a tank for you to cross the road! And the Alvis factory that used to build them in Coventry is now a Morrisons supermarket...
I was the gunner in a scimitar for 6 years, great vehicle, will literally go anywhere, and up anything, its not designed to get into a fight, it's for long range reconnaissance, the gun is there as a last resort, if you are in a fire fight behind enemy lines you have failed. The vehicles are used to get to a point behind the lines, then you dismount and close target recy on foot, bring in airstrikes , steal info from the enemy ect. The armour only protects you from small arms fire. One of the great things about his vehicle is you can you through a forested between trees nice and quite, the enemy will be watching the roads but you can use the dead ground in a forested to slip through the lines, the vehicle is about the same size as a land rover. Took some American marines out in one in the desert, they were used to their lav 25's, dont think they like it much, too small for them 😁
Small arms fire might not be the primary hazard across most of Ukraine's operations. How about artillery shrapnel and shell fragments? If it's good for that, that's exceptionally useful.
The best thing about the FV103 Spartan is that it's road legal in the UK. You can drive it to Tesco if your heart so desires We aren't allowed blades longer than 3 inches but we are allowed this.
@@oliverrugg3732 I could’ve ran over some kids with my Honda Fit the other day, it’s just as dangerous as a unarmed tank, different effects same outcome.
I have a childhood memory of being in the ancient family car, thrashing its lungs out at 50mph down the motorway and having a fleet of those just come sailing past us in the outside lane. It left an impression.
Fun fact: They can be transported inside ISO intermodal containers, and by anything that can carry those. So they can take full advantage of civilian infrastructure, and don't require specialist tank transporter vehicles which in turn require specially trained and licensed drivers, which gives them an insane level of operational mobility.
@@tubthump - And your point is? Civilian Transport is always used and commandeered in Wars, remember the Falklandas all the civilians ships all crewed by volunteers?
@@davedmufcdavedmufc7176 I was thinking in terms of military kit being concealed within civilian transportation. Civilians wouldn't realise the risk of being close to it.
The Spanish Marines had a full company of Scorpions, 17 vehicles in total, until 2009. It was a real show to see those tiny tanks maneuvering out of the the landing crafts at 50 kmph. They were also a perfect fit for providing an extra punch to an amphibious light force
My dad was an inspector at Alvis in Coventry and worked on the prototype for this tank.. Later my brother and sister worked there too.. It's great to see this little tank has proven to be so useful..
I was stationed at RAF St. Mawgan with the US Marines...I got the pleasure to become a spartan driver, ( we used them on our reaction force) ,(QRF for you youngins) ...Man, was that thing fast, and quick on its feet! I hope one day to own one! An excellent vehicle! 7 foreward gears, 7 reverse gears and yes, you can catch air in one! Shorter stopping distance than most high performance cars!......WHAT A MACHINE!!!!!
Brilliant vehicles: quiet, fast, reliable, flexible and ideal for ‘sneaking around the battlefield’. Having infantry ride on the top leaves internal space for kit, rations, ammo, fuel etc. As long as the UKR only use them as battle taxis they will be ok.
@Adolfizzz0 oh look someone knows how to use ctrl - v , such an exciting use of time to paste something you did not write and no one will read under multiple comments.
It is not an infantry carrier. There is no infantry to ride on top instead of inside. There is a crew of 3. The driver can´t ride on top, neither can the commander and I find it unlikely that they replace the gunner with supplies. For the same reason they cannot be used a battle taxis. This is a vehicle for recon and that is its only purpose.
CVRT series - Scorpion with a 76mm gun, Scimitar with a 30mm quick firing gun, Samaritan was the Ambulance, Spartan was infantry carrier, Samson was the REME vehicle, Sabre was a later variation which took the turret from the Fox wheeled recce vehicle and put it onto the Scorpion body - L21 Rarden 30mm cannon, Sultan was the Command and Control vehicle.
My Brother was in the Armoured recon, and its key to note that the idea of being hit by a killing blow is a non issue. Because if you're hit you're dead, thus it doesn't matter. But the CVRTs are able to move over absurdly poor terrain, as they weigh fuck all (gives side eyes to Ajax) as far as armour goes. it can hit hard relatively speaking, and When blundering into tanks, they don't shoot you because if they are smart they know that you are reccie, and theirs bigger things to consider, shooting them is a waste of time and ammo. CVRTs are excellent, Ajax doesn't really work in the role. and in many ways in that role they will be missed.
Dying doesn't matter in one, the enemy will refuse to fire on you in one, and your brother rode in one? I can't imagine why the miniature military of the Uk wants to move away from them
The fact the vehicle is small, quick, has really good range, and can carry a couple of infantry plus a stack of anti-tank weapons, makes it an ideal hit and run vehicle. It should be really effective for setting up ambushes and then getting out of the area. I think it would be extremely effective when deployed by smart, motivated troops.
Another thing that would make it a good hit and run vehicle is to make it as quiet as possible. When I was in the army and on a exercise we could hear tanks and other armor late at night, so much so that if we didn't hear those noises at night we gave no attention to the possibility of there being an armored unit nearby. One thing that would help is to give these light vehicles rubber tracks. Maybe they could quiet down the engine noise too. That would make these vehicles ideal for ambushing tanks. Like you said, "hit and run."
It's unbelievable tha the UK are retiring the CVR(T). The Class has unique capabilities, and with a bit of thoughtful evolution could provide another 40 odd years of useful service. And BTW, we didn't pull out of Hong Kong until 1997!
the battlefield has evolved. in the past they were very limited in what they could do, currently they are instead basically death traps youd only use because you have nothing else to use instead. the armor can be penned by small arms fire, similar to the BMD's we saw absolutely wrecked in the start of the ukrainian conflict. they also would absolutely vaporize to an ied, they can be taken out by rpg7 heat rounds, modern countries are entering a drone age and these would fall instant victim to those too. modern light tanks need anti drone capability, meaning you need automated anti-air turrets capable of stopping suicide drones and similar. the size is also rarely going to ever be something that matter for the UK. when it comes to defending the UK tanks are irrelevant, all you need is a navy and an airforce and prevent enemy from making landfall. that means ground vehicles only purpose is when fighting abroad. the uk have the logistical capability of delivering "full sized" vehicles to other countries so there really is no need for these countainer-friendly tanks. modern light tanks will look more like the CV90120 Ghost etc. However even that one is a victim to being developed prior to the ukrainian war which has showed the world new threats that tanks faces. as a result its unlikely the cv90120 will be acquired by any military until yet another redesign where it adds some sort of drone defense capability, be it by adding its thermal shielding on top and not just the sides or some sort of anti air weaponry. we see the same thing with the new rheinmetall tank. it has a drone launcher but it has no anti air capability, and the company is already designing automated short range anti-air turrets that can intercept drones and say these will be mountable on the tanks. no point paying millions of euros for a tank that can be taken out by a 15-50k drone. wont be long before drone launchers etc almost completely replaces missile launchers. loitering munitions just make more sense in a lot of regards,.
The thing is though getting rid of them means a company that lobbies and donates to the tory party can make lots of money replacing them of course not like for like. With the extra costs and extra fees we'll probably have force half the size we used to. Lucky us hay. But Defense contractors make more profit and for the current government that's all that matters.
@@opposed2logic the cvrt isnt a cutprice tank and was never desinged to be the air drop requirements were for rapid redeployment to support infantry in colonial bush wars. its main role was as a recce vehicle for recce a vehicle needs to be small light and quiet it also wont get penetrated by 7.62 but a dshk would go through it. and even in afghan with roadside bombs and rpgs the scimitar with its 30mm proved effective it also got upgraded internally to put better seats for impact absorption and a v shaped hull by the way ajax its replacment is useless for its cost we could modernise the entire challenger fleet of some 300 tanks and still have money left over to buy enough CV90s its also to big almost the same size as the challenger (spotted easy on recce) to loud for the crew shakes the crew to death to slow and to heavy (cant cross rough terrain to provide a bit of infantry FS)
At Catterick we had to stop the fun practice of taking the governors off for road tests up the Darlington dual carriageway when some old guy in his Mini had a heart attack when he was overtaken in the outside lane by a Scimitar! I had a squadron to play with and can only say they are fantastic vehices.
@@nigeldunkley2986 The only reason the governors were there in the first place was because a very senior officer didn't like being overtaken, in his staff car, by a troop of Scorpion/Scimitar in the outside lane of the motorway.
Sorry that might have been me, they worked us hard the sooner we got back to base the sooner we got to sleep, of all the places they sent me Bavaria is my favourite place have many happy memory's of my time there.
The 30mm Rarden is a vicious cannon. I saw about five rounds put into something about the size of a dinner plate at about 1800m in a firepower demonstration. It's like the finger of God. It just pokes with horrific velocity.
I'll second that. I had the pleasure of shooting Rardens for a couple of years and they were devastatingly accurate. Easy to watch rounds onto target too. Cleaning the gun after a good session was quite the job, though.
@@jules-9372 30mm Rarden is being phased out for something even more deadly. 40mm telescopic. It literally has a full on APFSDS round. For some reason the Brits hate NATO standardisation and come up with their own mental ammunition all the time. Just look at British 105mm, charge super is nuts.
I served for 6 years in the early 80's in a recce regiment, using all the variants. The wagons are governed down to protect the engine, and far more speed capable if you blow the governers. Our training taught us the main weapons was a last resort I.E. our role was to creep in (tracks have rubber pads on them) unseen and unheard and report back what the enemy is doing, then get out without a contact. Kitted out to enable remote recce off the vehicle E.G. big drums of wire mounted onto the side of the turret to enable a secure comms away from the vehicle closer to the enemy. Drivers (that was me) all trained to repair the wagon and assist the REME (mechanics). We were so familiar with them, I prepared the engine to be lifted out the vehicle in the middle of a forest at night without any lights (British Army does not use white light at night) after 36 hrs without sleep. Because the PSI on the tracks is so light, it is capable of traversing through swampy ground and traverse through forest due to it being so narrow. Has good (for the time) night sites and nuclear and biological capabilities I.E. a filtration system that kept the pressure inside the vehicle higher then the atmosphere outside. A toilet under the gunners seat for when locked down (a bucket) and a boiling vessel (BV) for hot drinks and cooking food E.G. dent the compo tin and throw it in the BV for 10 minutes. Speed was considered our best defence as alloy armour ain't much good against any anti armour rounds. If conflict happened with Russia in the 80's, it was considered we had two minutes to bug out after reporting a contact on the radio, as the Russians were considered to be experts at triangulation, thus when located in an OP, consideration of a quick vehicle exit from the OP was vital. If you threw a track, the gunner and driver could easaly break the track and remake onto the sprockets. The gunner and driver were multi trained to perform both roles.
I don't see how Ukraine could conduct airborne operations with this vehicle, but it's lightweight design is actually going to be very useful. The rainy season is around the corner, and there are a number of rivers and damaged bridges Ukraine will need to cross. This vehicle should do nicely for that, and it could be of great benefit the Ukrainian infantry as they drive the orcs back to Mordor. Not really the reason why it was designed that way, but it should do nicely.
I was told by an ex squaddie that in the 80s the most fun you could have in the british army was in a scorpion doing 50mph on manoeuvres through rough ground in germany.
Until a bunch of even smaller german MK-Wiesel came out of the bushes and surpassed them with 60km/h (70km/h on the road).😏 But no matter if you got the british or the german mini tank...they are a blast to drive 😁
The amazing aspect of the Ukrainian army is that they use constant innovation to adapt their tactics to the equipment available to them. They have been provided with a vast array of vehicles and equipment in addition to their 'native' resources but seem to familiarise themselves really quickly to what is available to them. No mean task for any army especially considering that the support logistics for such an array becomes very complicated , very quickly. I have no doubt that many military strategists are studying this war in awe of Ukranian tactics and strategy. I certainly am.
They've got a similar kind, if not more ballsy attitude to us brits, a kind of attitude that I imagine will result in them using it in a very creative, cheeky and effective manner.
I did smile at this.... 'familiarise really quickly'? I think a lot of the instructors, ex-pats (former soldiers who moved to Ukraine in better times) and volunteers would have used and worked on this older kit as part of their service. Without the 'complicating' electronics it tends to be easier to maintain. That said, I too am impressed by both logistics management - a mixture of warsaw pact and nato equipment, and ageing equipment. All mixed in with state-of-the-art equipment. Add in hybrid warfare - osint from geotagged pictures of kit by civilians, and drones. It's been impressive.
Ukraine? This is NATO.. you know the same people that started proxy wars with Syria and many others. Amazing how Americans can cheer on Ukrainians being forced to die for a power hungry coalition of corruption.
These are solid vehicles the platform is tried and tested but old. I was crew on one for the best part of 8 years I loved my "little tank". It never failed me. Let's hope thet the Ukraines put them to good use
Just as in military aircraft, so is it true in maneuver warfare…Speed is Life. I would choose the speed demon that doesn’t get bogged down and stuck virtually every time.
Interesting. Visited a North Yorkshire museum this week , one of their privately owned Spartans had just been shipped out to Ukraine. They've still got another three.
Commanded a troop of these wagons and I can assure you that they are excellent. Our deployment was two Scorpions and two Scimitars used in the recce role. They were quite and fast with a good combination of firepower.
Worked as military contractor during most of the 1990’s, including a base, where the Spartan was main part of an Air Defence Regiment, with the Javelin as a vehicle mounted SAM, I believe. The fact that it remained in service for over 30 years is testament to its versatility.
Singer sewing machines were started to be manufactured in Glasgow, Scotland. The company assumed the title of being the first overseas company in the world.
interesting point, to try to sell the effectiveness of Ajax as a reccy vehicle, they gave it to the RAC to test, which as you may notice not a armoured Recon regiment... They thought it was supper light weight, manoeuvrable, small... of course they were comparing to CR2.. Actually (on the whole) reccy thought in simple terms "I'm not convinced". Its heavy slow and the armour is ineffective (because on both if hit you're dead, but the CVRT can at least buck fast, Ajax cant). Theres features to it that make Ajax interesting to reccy but at the same time, its unproven, as well as not really gelling with the armoured reccy role,
Of course this happens with any new vehicle, but not without reason. Faith in equipment is naturally earned. CVRTs on paper are kinda junk, but the users know how to use them and know what they offer, Ajax.... as it stands feels like it subtracts from operational capability. In time it may prove itself, But I know a few who question that future even if its one they may have to accept.
@@Element905 The CVRTs are fairly well rated, amongst its own. There's not the pretence to survivability as there is non. The Key thing of CVRTs is not offence, not defence, but to to the role as recon, and limited infantry support. in that roles is very good. Plus its/they are cost effective, and relatively easy to maintain.
As an example of the extremely low ground pressure (one third of a man), one commander in the Falklands (they were light enough to easily get on shore during the hostilities), jumped down from his vehicle and sank up to his knees in the bog that the scimitar was comfortably standing on top of.
I always liked seeing these and the German Wiesel rip through the fields in (west) Germany. They both had similar tasks and only the speed of the British version was much better. When it comes to maintenance the Wiesel was easier to maintain and they had a TOW on top. The Wiesel 2 is even better but also heavier than the original.
They are working on a replacement for the Wiesels called LUWA... With a 30mm auto cannon instead of the original 20mm gun... Its pretty cool... Has 4 tracks instead of 2 and is about the same size as a Wiesel 2...
@@GearHedd The LuWa always reminded me of the H.I.S.S. tank of saturday morning GI Joe fame. A return to the tankette (or self-propelled hasty fighting position as I call it) makes sense in the era of MBT killing missiles and budgets. Quantity has a quality all it's own, especially when the mobility means you can truck 30 mike mikes, mortars, and optically guided missiles to unexpected firing points with absurd speed and more buddies than your opponent can afford to keep paying for missiles to deal with.
@@WindFireAllThatKindOfThing Thats what im thinkin as well lately... It costs like 8 million to crank out say a K2 tank in 2022? How much would it cost to build like a modern era Wiesel with say a Stugna P system on top of it... Its like 100,000 dollars for a Stugna P setup with launcher, monitor/control setup and etc... How much would it cost for the modern era Wiesel itself? Im guessin a LOT less then a K2... Then there is the maintenance and fuel and etc as well. The original Wiesels with 20mm guns or TOW missiles used 86 horsepower engines... The Wiesel 2s used 120 horsepower engines... Dirt cheap to buy and build... And they sip gas... An engine for a K2? Sucks down gas and costs a fortune to replace when needed... Then it takes 3 or 4 guys to man a tank? But 2 for say a modern era version of a Wiesel with a Stugna P sitting on top? Driver with a guy in the back sitting in front of the monitor/control setup... The Stugna can hit from like 3.4 miles away... And from that distance good luck seeing a Wiesel that is trying to not be seen... Tanks are great and all but there is a place for the Stugna P Wiesel in my mind... Cheap... Easy to maintain... Sips gas... Doesnt weigh much... Easy to hide... Quick... Easy to train people to use... On and on and on... And it can take out tanks from over 3 miles away...
I was mechanized infantry and the only thing we used 113's for was our medics. There was no comparison between it and the Bradley when comparing protection and firepower. That said, when bullets start flying you want out of that metal coffin as soon as possible no matter what kind of a vehicle it is.
@@bigmekboy175 Yep. Im not hanging around either once we take fire in that thing. But you bet before that time comes you're real happy you had the option to not hoof it for the next 20 miles. Ukraine's going to need as many as they can get to move their mass of infantry along such a wide front. 100% agree with everything you said, still rather have it than not.
@@zoiders Nope. But Ukraine still needs them 100%. I already agreed with the other guy about it. Its to get their infantry in/out there and resupplied faster. The civilian vehicles Ukrainians are currently using needs any armored help it can get. And if you haven't noticed, they are already being used to hitch a ride to and from the front whether its a dedicated apc or not...
Another interesting fact about it's light footprint is that it pushed such low poundage per square inch that it could actually run over your foot and not break your toes, it probably wouldn't even split your boot.
Ground pressure 5lbs per square inch. It was a Spartan and Scimitar commandeer for a number other years this vehicle will go anywhere. Even used them in the the jungle in Central America Belize. A really good Wagon
I was part of the CVRT conversion team when i served , the old Jag engines where swapped out for Cummins diesel's as part of the single fuel program ,which is what you see at 4:09 painted white .
We had Scorpians in the New Zealand Army ,Great for there designated role,and think they had 6 gears forward and 6 in reverse and can do max speed in both with the modified 4.2 Jaguar 6 ie E type,XJS motor ,these little tanks are super fast and have a special feature of a boiling water system so you can have a hot cuppa anywhere the tank is providing the tankers will share their hot water
They were retired from the NZ Army in the early 90's. They weren't suitable for the NZ terrain because they use to roll easily and a few people died in them.
The whole point of the scorpion was to not engage with the enemy. All infantry recce units in BAOR were issued these. They were fast, quiet and small, ideal for recce, the RARDEN cannon was used in emergency situations to get it out trouble if spotted by the enemy, it was a very capable recce vehicle, and when manned by an experienced crew could gather into in enemy positions and movement without being seen.
The Spartan was designed to go fast through wet open fields and small villages in Eastern Europe. As such, it was perfect for the Kharkiv Oblast. It would also be perfect for the Kherson operation. The UK deemed it unlikely that a war would break out in Eastern Europe, after the Cold War ended, so it started to put this vehicle on the back burner and a lot of them are mothballed down the road from where I live, and indeed right next to where I used to work. I would bet that the UK was pleased to be rid of them. They are really simple vehicles, easy to maintain, use little fuel and can be quite intimidating if you are in a trench and one of these is hurtling towards you and you do not have an RPG. Big tanks are pretty useless in those big open fields, especially in wet weather. So, if the USA is thinking of sending Abrams tanks, think again. Send light vehicles like the Bradleys, and longer range howitzers and missile systems. This war would be over already if the West would just send the right kit. But, I suspect the UK and USA want to see Russia's army totally destroyed, Russia humiliated, and its Air Force shot out of the skies. No need to ask/negotiate for Russia to demilitarise if Ukraine can do it by force, which is what is happening. It is certainly making China think again about Taiwan.
The U.S. strategy is to provide Ukraine with the needed equipment & ammo to defeat the invading Russians, but also to string it out for a long enough amount of time such that it totally grinds down Russian troops and materiel. Unfortunately, a protracted fight is harder on the Ukrainians, too. A quick fight would cause less damage, death and destruction to civilians and infrastructure. I do like kicking the teeth out of Russia's military, though.
The CVRT in a nut shell is designed to move the crew commander around the field at speed and difficult terrain (it’s tracked). To provide a small amount of protection for the crew commander (it’s armoured). To bite back In self defence (30 mil cannon and coax 7.62). It does these things so it’s most important cargo, the commander can give Timely and accurate intelligence to influence the battle space and if he needs to hit the enemy as a forward observer whilst calling artillery on to target.
Loved crewing these. First mechanics lesson I received was how to take the fuse out of the speed limiter. The result is a lot more than 65 mph. My dad was driving in the autobahn in 1975 and a scimitar overtook him. More importantly, these things go ANYWHERE. The bit about low ground pressure is true.
Not likely. Tracked vehicles aren't allowed on the Autobahn outside emergencies. They often don't fulfill the minimal speed requirements of 60kph, but even if they do, they generally require transportation on STvO approved heavy goods transports.
@@WarentesterDuring the Falklands war, I looked out of my office window to see two scorpions driving down Washwood Heath Road, Birmingham. No transporters were required because they have rubber tires to reduce the pressure on the tracks when they travel on paved highways. In the 70s, my uncle was radio operator on chieftains but did a conversion training exercise on scorpions and his driver disabled the limiter and took the larv (light armoured reconnaissance vehicle) up to almost 80mph. The limiter was there to prevent excessive fuel consumption and to protect the engine and drive train from damage due to stress but boys will be boys.
@@Warentester the vehicle in question was specifically designed to include road use and 65 mph is around 108 kph. At around 10 600 kg it is also lighter than many wheeled road vehicles.
My father served on the cvrt family of vehicles and I have been lucky to help maintain some in a museum. Everybody I encounter is a fan of their specific model and is still proud of having served on them. They seem to be an excellent fit for fast light infantry deployments. Although they are engaged in battle a little further east then expected they seem to excell at doing what they were meant to do.
In Afghan we used our Scimitars in a dual role. We provided Reconnaissance screens for the battle group, and we would also provide close in fire support for the infantry. They managed well despite their age but after 6 month the wagons were very tired. I went through 3 Torsion Bars, One Gearbox and by the end the hull was cracked. But they are fast rugged and easy to maintain for the most part.
I have wondered on their ruggedness in such adverse enviroment I do wonder how Scorpions fared in this are in the Falklands givne the complete reverse of conditions
@Samuel Kubinec I'd recommend reading 'first Scimitar into Stanley' in all CVRT accounted itself well in the Falklands. Its very low ground pressure ment it didn't sink and in the wet ground. This gave it the edge over the Panhards which being wheeled where restricted. There's an account of the Panhard being dug in and the HCR waiting till night to engage them due to them having no night vision capabilities. They also where used well to run casualties back to the Aid post and run Ammo up the line. It seems multi role is somthing CVRT has always been good at.
My first sight of these was a pair passing our trenches at great speed on Salisbury Plain. Long time ago but my (probably exaggerated) recollection was that they were in the air as much as on the ground and one executed a sharp left hand turn without reducing speed. So impressive.
They are not a tank - the hint is in the name Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance. At that they are superb. Fast, small, easy to conceal, and brilliant for setting up a quick recce screen. I was 2 1/c of a Squadron, and my Sultan Command vehicle was excellent. Never broke down with good driving (watch the jerk on the crankshaft on range change for 3-4), and difficult to get stuck. Yes you can get 2 in a container, and one under a Chinook! As for ammunition storage in the Scimitar. The point was that the gun was not really designed for fast auto fire. It was a mini tank gun firing 30mm HE (Common shell), A small APDS round and APSE (described as shot on the fire order). This was optimised to take on the face hardened armour of the BTRs, and kill the crew. There was no need to go blasting 30 rounds at a BTR - if one knows how APSE worked, one round was lethal. The round was not designed to penetrate in the conventional sense, nor was the filling explosive. Would a Scimitar knock out a tank - depends. I gather the only Challenger to be knocked out in Iraq 1 was in a friendly fire incident where a Scimitar of the recce regiment shot a CR up the jacksie. The round penetrated , destroyed the gearbox and stopped the tank. Fortunately the error was realised and the Scimitar didn't open up on the crew with the co-ax, which would be the normal procedure.
The ‘spartan’ has a crew of 2 (driver and commander) the third hatch is the team commander who deploys with the four man dismounted team (ie-5 man team). The thing you need to understand about this initial series of vehicles is that they are ‘recon’ vehicles. They have fire power, but ideally they shouldn’t be using it. If they do something went wrong. My main point is the Spartan is ‘not’ an armoured personnel carrier. We had FV432 and later Warrior for that purpose. Other versions were developed like striker and a mortar version, but these were later support variants for infantry and artillery support as well as other variants that we Brits are great at inventing (eg - ww2 funnies etc)
CVRT's have also been sold to civilians domestically here in the UK. And for what you get they are at a good price of around low to mid tens of thousands. Sadly the weapons don't come with any ammo and have been disabled but hey you get a tank that is road legal to drive around in.
@@Sinyaoalmost ANYTHING is cheaper than Tesla or any other EV for that cars bracket, in fact, as an engineer, I wonder how they justify these insane prices for electric cars, way simpler than IC and simpler to assemble, yes, the battery costs, but you can buy a full pack, prebuilt, for around £3500, then you really just need a speed controller/charger, and a single speed industrial motor, the engineering and maintenance on an IC engine is huge compared to electric, cost for cost, the EV should be cheaper. as proof, you can buy a Chinese EV for about 6k, yes!, a Tesla has better range, performance and build quality, but not 40k worth of quality and range (in fact...... 47k/6 = 7.8....the Chinese EV does just over 100 miles, so that's 780 miles battery range, 8 motors and speed controllers, 31 seats and almost 8 body shells and 32 wheels). a bit simplistic, but you get the point?. I have a hard time believing Elon just wants to save the planet, more like he wants to make an opportunistic killing while the tec is fresh and the demand is there, same goes for the other manufacturers, honestly, you could electrify an IC car for a fraction the cost of a Tesla, wild example, you could buy an E type jaguar for 60k restored, pull the engine, transmission and fuel system, stick in a 10k battery, 5k for motor and controller (motor in diff location, batteries under bonnet where that v12 jag engine went, controller in that huge trans tunnel) parts cost for that would be 75k, plus labour, compared to 100k for a model S or X, I know what I would rather own. (moot point really, my job only pays 22k a year, but the price gouging going on is really annoying me and I would like an electric car sooo much) sorry for the wall of text, new car prices for EV's really annoy me and you used a trigger phrase 😅
@@jongarrat2417 I figured the same on a FIAT 500 mate, buy a decent second hand one and fit Tesla battery, motor, etc and it would be around 10k cheaper that the e500. I wonder if you could make an eSpartan.. 😎
Love CVRT’s cheap, fit inside a standard car garage and road legal. Plus loads of options shame they didn’t keep developing it and a shame the British army didn’t order the fv108 streaker after the Falklands or the later stormer versions I believe they only got 2 or 3 versions of the stormer’s
Speaking of garages, when one of the recce scimitars was finished being worked on, by the REME, the driver moved it outside, only problem...the barrel was raised and it well, was pushed back into the turret.
I agree. Surely not being where the enemy expects you to be is a 1/3rd of the battle. Knowing where the enemy is, is another 1/3rd. Not as possible with the usual armour fielded by the Russians and the USA.
@@wessexdruid7598 there’s a great photo of a Samson being recovered by bravo November during the Falklands if I remember correctly they only attached the tow cables to one end so it was dangling vertically
I was heading north from BMH Hanover in a land rover back in 74. We were travelling flat out (about 60 plus miles an hour and we were passed like we were standing still by a pair of Cavalry Scorpions from one of the tank regiments. They were travelling on the autobahn at around 80 miles an hour, it was unusual to see armour (even that light) travelling so fast and so has stuck in my memory since then. These were the straight six Daimler engine variant before the "upgrade" to diesel.
I have some friends that are in a milsim group and they actually have one of these bad boys suited up for airsoft, dummy rounds and mounted lmgs. It was terrifying when I played against them
The man who questioned the top NATO General Clark (a Yank) when told to engage the Russians at Pristina airfield in Kosovo. While questioning the order given the possible outcome a certain General Jackson (senior British commander) came on the air and told him to 'Sugar off round the airfield' so Blunt took his recce platoon and a lot of very disappointed Paras and encircled the airfield. This was when General Jackson epically told General Clark "I'm not going to start World War Three for you". Jackson then visited the Russians and (in fluent Russian and bearing vodka) they agreed to hold fire and leave at a suitable time while the British provided rations. Of course it went to the top of the political tree but only Jackson was backed. So a British Compromise was found. Clark was later relieved of his command. Jackson was promoted.
I used to drive scimitar (the one with the 30mm) when I was younger, so a couple of observations on your comments. 1. Idle, in the British army these were mainly meant for reconnaissance (eg. target acquisition for the Challenger etc), you drove fast to your next OP, and then pretty much switched your engine off & camouflaged, not to save fuel but to decrease your thermal signature. 2. Armour, we were often told the Alloy was not that great, eg. AK at 10m could penetrate, so it was mainly placebo, but then you were not meant to be seen.. :) 3. As another poster mentions, you totally forget to mention the BV for making that most important cup of tea.. :) 4. Even though that 30mm was meant for defence, it really did pack a punch. Even using practise rounds in Wales I remember it ripping a Chieftain tank to bits, can only imagine what HEI or better Sabot (APDS) rounds would have done to it.
I drove Striker, a Swingfire armed CVR(T). Drove one for almost for 5 years. CVR(T) was perfect back in the day and is still extremely useful even on today's battlefield.
If I was going through ammo at that rate I would be very disappointed if the bloke on the receiving end wasn't having a significantly worse day than me.
Their small size and weight also means they can cross small bridges that may not have been taken out like the main river crossings. They fit on narrow country roads and between trees in forested terrain and are great in tight urban areas such as the small villages of Ukraine. Slava Ukraine 🇬🇧🇺🇦💪🏼
WHOO! LIGHT CAV TANKS! This vehicle is IDEAL for the conflict. And it makes sense to not send the 30mm variant, the scimitar. With that, you need the ammo, which they won't always necessarily have. But with the troop transport, you can just lob a few more dudes on top with nlaws or panzerfaust 3s or javs, and do the same work.
We used the Scorpion tank in our army for years. In the jungle and counterinsurgency they had no equals for light infantry support. We have never used them in a conventional conflict, though. I believe our general staff is looking into the lessons of the Russo-Ukrainan War. Among other things, they are probably looking at how these Spartans are being used.
I believe the driver controls were designed to match those of the Chieftain tank, the U.K. MBT at the time. So the gear change, steering etc were the same controls, meaning drivers could more easily transition between vehicles
Funny enough as to your joke about rich brits buying these for their kids, it’s entirely possible and not insane. There’s a decent number that are privately owned and a surplused one will run you about £30k. They’re quite popular because they bring all the clout of owning a tank without the insane fuel prices of owning one
Great video, extra credit for using cheeky in the correct context as well! No idea this vehicle existed, but British down to a tee. Not specified for anything, but useful for everything. Sometimes simplicity is best!
When in West Berlin from 1981 to 1984 I observed British Scorpions and Chieftains, NATO's smallest and largest tanks, on exercise and in parades. The British Army used a unique urban camouflage in West Berlin.
I was trained on the Scimitar when I was with the Queen's Own Yeomanry. Our version had the full optical package and Life Extension Programme upgrade and it was brilliant! My gunnery skills were better at night with their BGTI system! Excellent bit of kit, though obsolete in this day and age, it's probably perfect against Soviet era Russian armour.
Spot on Ian. Although Scots DG, I went on loan to 16/5L in Herford so from big Tonkas to Sports Cars on Tracksfourt troops of Scimitar, a Boot Troop of these things, two Sultan for my SHQ and the usual other wee dinky toys like Striker with Swingfire Samson for the LAD and Samaritan blood wagons. I have never enjoyed armoured soldiering more - fast, highly manoeuverable, quiet, sleek low profile and plain fun to handle in the medium Div Recce role. So great that the Ukes have got some to play with now boggy winter conditions are going to be a problem for anything with a ground pressure problem. Slava bogu, slava Ukrainii!
Embedded with infantry its a really useful vehicle. The night vision and the coms alone are enough but throw in the cannon and you have a vehicle that can sniff out the enemy and then wait and watch while a company puts in a night attack, providing fire support if needed. Tanks existing just to kill other tanks is a bit meta in the age of the Javelin.
Yeomanry…pfft, I’m ex 9/12L and during exercises the yeomanry refused to sweep the mud thrown from their tracks onto the road so WE had to do it. Bloody weekend warriors 🙄
I was a Spartan Operator in the British Army. Great fun wee thing, when it worked... :D Steering pneumatics failed once when I was hoofing it along a road at 45mph... that was fun.
Neat little intro to a fascinating family of AFVs. (As a kid growing up in Australia in the 70s, I had a model of the Striker variant, which could spring-launch little plastic missiles from the rear magazine. 🙂)
FV 103 Spartan not only has a Luxury JAGUAR 4.3 Liter engine, it also has special military valves assemblies to burn poor quality fuel. The salvage metal value is a gold mine. The hull and turret were built out of an aluminum-zinc-magnesium alloy that is lighter and stronger than any aluminum frame in the world. This mini-tank is designed for speed and air transport ease.
I have seen these vehicles up close and personal at tye Bovington Tank Museum, Dorset, England. They are very versatile vehicles and the Ukrainians will be pleased !
You know, I saw a general say that on this recent offensive, Ukrainians used wheeled APCs to a great effect. In Europe, at least Finland and France have provided those. Could you do something about the topic, like maybe a comparison between wheels and tracks in military use?
I was a troop leader with a Canadian Army troop attached to the British Army Training in Suffold live fire exercise. We were equipped with the M113 Lynx recce vehicle, which has the engine in the rear. I bet the troop leader of the British Recce troop equipped with Scorpions that I could beat him in a cross-country race over the prairie. He took me up on the offer, so the race began. The long and short of it was that I won because my engine was in the rear, and I could float over undulations in the ground, and his vehicle with the engine in the front had to slow down. It was an excellent bottle of Scotch Whiskey that I won.
4:41 Little did we know airtransport isnt possible anymore, but since it lightweight we could probly make an artillery capeable of shooting the damn thing behind enemy lines xD
It's awesome to see this versatile little tracked buggy finally doing what it was designed to do. It's clear the users love them, and the version equipped with the 30mm Rarden can destroy nearly any armoured vehicle, then bugger off at 50mph off road. What a weapon. Given it's seeming success in the Ukraine, the utility of this little tank (yeah I know it's not a tank) may lead to newer designs of a similar sized platform. I look forward to it.
I was in the REME in 1985 and worked on this as a young solder. Bloody awesome vehicle that was so much fun to drive over cross country. They had a J60 (jaguar) petrol engine with optronic ignition, which was sexy as fk back then. Great vehicle - does exactly what it was intended to do. Get in, reconnoitre, get out quickly.
" does exactly what it was intended to do. Get in, reconnoitre, get out quickly"......yes mate, and that's exactly why a few donkey wallopers of 'The Cold Age' had these dark horse fast cats accused of being the other woman in Household Div. divorce cases at the time. By the way Sparks.....you wouldn't happen to have any plugs for a 432 handy would you?
About 10-15 years back, the current CVR(T) had an overhaul and was retrofitted with a more powerful diesel engine! It's range has improved with no drop in speed! Horrid to work on due to size constraints and old bulkhead designs, it is relatively simple otherwise which means you can bodge it easily! Exactly what the AFU need!
@@johnh3095 Made me remember the old FV432 APC, which had a K60 Foxtrot engine and was lovely to work on once you ripped it out of the bulkhead. The K60 Golf was the same engine, repackaged to fit into the FV433 Abbot and the WORST pack ever to work on - in fact we used to give it to anyone who had fucked up for some reason as a punishment. Bloody awful thing to work on.
I own one of these, well the CVR(T) FV101 Scorpion. It's nice because most of my property is marshland, and I can easily traverse it with my CVRT light tank and it doesn't get stuck. My HMMWV and Czech OT-64 on the other hand can't really get far into it especially during the wet season.
In my town there is a scimitar with a 30mm autocannon on display outside an army reserve centre. While it is kind of badass, it might be of better use being brought back to life and shipped over to Ukraine.
If it is just sitting outside an Army Reserve center? It is likely stripped inside. If it isn't stripped, it is likely in very poor repair, and would likely need to be refurbished at fairly significant expense. If however, it is kept in good, running condition? Then yeah, I would agree.
@@davidorf3921 I wish they'd done that with the one in my home town, as it would have been a lot more difficult for someone to steal! Some helpful soul prised off an access panel when it was still there however and it looked an awful lot like an intact engine in there. Which may explain why someone helped them self to the whole thing.
The old joke about being able to fix anything in the Army with green nylon string and black nasty ( duck tape) is actually based on a common field repair for these. The accelerator cable which ran along the floor would snap when sand got inside and wore through the steel wire. Drivers would remove a bolt from the bulkhead separating the drivers and engine compartments thread some green string through and the it to the lever on the injector pump and now you have a hand throttle.
please cappy we want more ukraine war analysis in the coming days for what is happening in these days, they are so great and i wait for them everyday and im not lying ! thanks for all that knowledge you give us man....
If you want daily updates on the state of the war in ukraine, the best channel I've seen that covers it is "Reporting from Ukraine" here on youtube. Really great tactical insights into the events on a day by day basis!
The Missile carrier, The 76mm gun and 30 mm Rarden gun were all different types of the series. Spartan is a totally different vehicle to the Scorpion and Scimitar (Whose image is used a lot). Good post though. Scorpian (76mm gun) was taken out of service years ago because of fume problems in the turret. They were then retrofitted with 30mm Rarden turrets off the FOX wheeled tank to become Sabres.
'FOX wheeled tank' Fox was a four-wheel, turreted recce vehicle, intended as successor to the Ferret and a little friend to the Scorpion/Scimitar/ Spartan family (et al), as Ferret had been to Saladin /Saracen.
At least there’s no images of stormer used - I’ve seen so many of them, including Samson and Samaritan of all things captioned as Stormer Extra road wheel chaps, FV’s 101 to 107 have 5; Stormer has 6
I was a Recce driver in a Spartan and I loved it. It was a great bit of kit. There was mostly just two of us so space wasn’t an issue and it was so quiet on approach in high gear low revs. Also, it was as fast in reverse as it was forward which I only really needed once but when I did it was spectacular. With a good driver/commander combo these wagons were amazing
Yeah I remember someone saying they have less pressure on the ground per square metre than a human foot, so they can ride over boggy ground easier than soldiers. They aint perfect but they are better than land rovers, russian apcs and walking on foot.
@@asimhusain8087 True, but most infantry carry enough firepower to take out MBTs, so what difference does it make in that case? If you can reverse at 90km/h you get to choose when to fight which could be critical is most cases.
the fact that theyre small is size makes them very effective to move through harder grounds, these things can hop between the trees well and can use lots of new weapons systems mounted on top for hit and run style.
As a Brit I'm really rather proud that we're the 2nd biggest donor of "lethal aid" to our friends in Ukraine, and we're not just offloading the shit stuff we don't want, but things like StarStreak, NLAW, and the M270 MLRS (with the fairly decent M31A1 precision rockets which I think are around 50-odd miles range) - very similar to the US HIMARS platform. Not only that, I understand we're doing performing and managing a huge amount of training for the Ukrainian forces both here in UK and also in Poland too which I feel is often overlooked. What's most impressive though is that the brave Ukrainian's are using such a wide variety of technologies and platforms to their full advantage - something that can't be easy given Ukraine is being sent so many different types of kit from the West... Hard enough for each respective military to keep on top of both the operational use of the weapon systems and vehicles, let alone the maintenance of them! Proud of what we're doing from the UK, but truly amazed at how well Ukraine are making use of all of this kit. It's one hell of an achievement. My MP is actually our new PM (Liz Truss), so I will - like I already have before she became our PM - continue to message her to ensure she knows that the British public fully supports our friends in Ukraine and we - the taxpayers - expect the UK to continue to provide all the weapons, training and supplies to Ukraine that we can. Glory to Ukraine!
You have such an animated and enjoyable way about you that I watch all vids till the end, even when I don’t find the topic to my interest. Such a lads lad, poking fun with witty remarks or montage that I always find your vids entertaining. If my math teacher could explain stuff like you I would have had better grades. Love the chatty way you engage your audience. A special kind of average 🙂
A CVRT got pulled over for breaking the 70mph motorway speed limit and i think that the speeding ticket ended up as a framed trophy on the regt mess wall!
During WW2 and afterwards, several British Armoured Fighting Vehicles used a modified Rolls-Royce Merlin engine! The Meteor engine was built by another company so RR didn't profit from it. (However, they did help design it, but didn't charge anything! (Something about there's a war going on!!!)
Indeed, but the MoD Prefers to think (rightly ) that it doesn't exist, or can be used against the UK. This develops defence doctrine more fully. "The Ditch" is Theoretical, till its not. IRL Its far more effective than we oft not consider it, as it may be seen as crutch, that hampers continental strategy. But in actual defence is significant, as few nations have the means to wade such boy of water.
I wonder how your go-cart would fare if billions of USD weren't supporting it in Ukraine Most likely, it would be synonymous with failure like your island would be synonymous with an occupied nation in WW2 if we didn't ante up then
GB would never have been occupied in WWII, once the Luftwaffe had been defeated in the Battle of Britain. The US didn’t effectively enter the European theatre of war until 1942, although notionally in 1941, when Hitler ( in his infinite wisdom) declared war on the US.
The British Army provided me one as a security escort during the Bosnian War. I was working as a civilian, running truck convoys that supported non-government aid agencies deliver supplies across the country. I drove a fuel tanker between the British base at Vitez and our logistics base in Zenica. My truck seriously struggled to keep up with it! However, it’s gun and crew saved me when I was held up at gun point at an impromptu checkpoint. I was lucky the tank commander looked back to check on me. Watching this machine scream back up the road with its turret spinning around to point its gun in my defence was amazing! It wasn’t mentioned in this video, but the Scorpion/Spartan was just as fast driving backwards as it was forwards. I only wish I could’ve bought that crew a beer or two as thanks.
Thanks for Watching! Play War Thunder now with my link, and get a massive, free bonus pack including vehicles, boosters, and more: wtplay.link/taskandpurposewarthunder
Thx for the great content. Hi from Quebec, Canada!
War Thunder, a "game" from a russian software developer. Take their money.. lol
Oh, Cmon! War Thunder is a rUSSIAN developed game and devs paying taxes to rUSSIAN army. Do not sponsor them in future please.
Did you see the TH-camr Canadian Prepper calling you a CIA puppet? 🤣
Empire's money ended up in the USA because we opposed imperialism. Different times.
The true secret to their success is that every Spartan tank has a BV (boiling vessel) so you always have hot tea where ever you go.
This is an integral part of British military doctrine.
I'm ex-RAF, and I always felt that our rifles should have tea making facilities. And our boots. And hats....
Bloody good just need crumpets.
key
With the region heading in to winter, I would imagine that the ability to produce hot food & drink in the field will be hella welcome
There is one huge advantage that makes it better than marder, puma or bradley for Ukraine.
It is actually there.
Well said sir, Germany sending marder to Greece tho so that's great
Yep.
Step 1 - making it to the battlefield....
Anything beats getting around in a pickup truck.
@@donaldkasper8346 I dunno is it a hilux with a 50cal or equivalent mounted on the back?
@@JosephKano nope but it could be, it might only have a 7.62 on it right now but the Ukrainians have already shown themselves to be geniuses at field modifications, and they've captured a huge amount of Russian weaponry that I'm sure they could find a way to bodge onto this thing, like 12.7mm "Dushkas"
There is up side that isn't really mentioned.
Its small af.
You're driving down the road, you pass a van, boom surprise!
Whole ass British Armour was parked behind it!
That bush?
British Armour.
That rock?
British Armour.
Your Mother?
Nah, British Armour.
Really good for ambushes or sneaky pushes.
Perfect for recon, and interception.
Such as intercepting supply lines.
I laughed. Well done and God Bless.
Reminds me of the german Wiesel AWC.
To my understanding you can legally drive it with your normal car driver license (class B) and you could park it in your garage.
@Alex Jones globalist?
@@mrd7067 I think they're calling you round.
@Alex Jones do you mean ‘globalist’ or ‘globetard’ I only ask coz the earth ain’t flat!
And if I’m a globalist, clearly you’re not a fan, then you must be a…nationalist! Oops did I just say that!
I was a driver of the spartan during the cold war. We used it as our 3-man air defence unit. Basically on our own, we could very quickly hide the vehicle and deploy our Javelin missiles...and just as quickly disappear. The most important piece of equipment in the cvrt is the BV...no squaddie will do anything without tea :)
BV?
Boiling vessel.
Javelins weren't used in the Cold War.
@@jordochappers7430 He means the Javelin SAM. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javelin_(surface-to-air_missile)
@@jamesyeh364 Fair enough 👌
I was British Army and these vehicles were tested in Germany whilst I was there. I particularly remember one day a driver of one of them advised he had been flagged down by the German civilian police and given a ticket for speeding. Previously our tanks, Chieftains, were limited to just over 30 mph and to have a new tank that could be ticketed for speeding at closer to 60 mph was a great novelty. The driver was treated to beer all evening!
Nice story. I remember when one of the Norwegian Skjold class corvette HNoMS Skjold, when it was still an prototype, was visiting USA. One day they decide to travel up Mississippi , with an US delegation, including an US General, they was very interested in what the Norwegian's was doing. That day HNoMS received a speeding ticket by the US police, for driving to fast on the Mississippi! It's not often you experience a warship doing more than 60 knots, while armed with cannons and missiles!
I was in the 9/12 Lancers in BAOR (Detmold) in the early 1970’s . Joined as as a Driver/Operator. The only way to get a Chieftain over 30 MPH was on a very steep hill. Or on a train!
We later went the route of CVRT family and although the would go at ridiculous speeds, they were prone to throwing tracks at anything over about 55mph.
I wouldn’t like to be inside one though if a Russian 12.7mm opened up on the vehicle.
@@3204clivesinclair I was in Detmold in the 1970s and early 80s in the Lothian Barracks
@@3204clivesinclair ZSU 23/4 now there’s a beast…
Was his name Michael Main by any chance?
I wasa CVR(t) Scorpion instructor in my cavalry squadron.
76mm cannon mounted on this chaise.
Excellent vehicle, very fast, great cross country capability. And the 76 cannon was magnificent.
About to retire now after 33 years service.
Wouldn't have swapped my career for the world.
I hop o helped people along the way. That's why I became a soldier, to help people.
I served on Spartan in Iraq. It's fucking awesome chaps, believe no bollocks. 50 mph off road no probs. Best RECCE vehicle ever. Dogshit electronics but easily upgradeable
I cringe every time I see the british stealing that Boer afrikaans lingo. Commando, Recce, you know the Boer that Britain put into the first concentration/death camps that ever existed. Killing a big chunk of their women and children that way as britain couldnt defeat the Boer in War
@@AbuHajarAlBugatti What are you even talking about? Incomprehensible anti-British nonsense!
@@AbuHajarAlBugatti I cringe every time I see someone using English to form a full sentence then complaining about English people using 1 word that apparently doesn't belong to them. Especially when they come from a 3rd world country.
I doubt they will make upgrades in Ukraine though. This will add to the logistics nightmare that 50 different foreign vehicles must have created for a wounded Ukranian logistics maintanence system. many kinds of new types of ammo won´t make it easier. I will be very surpried if more than 50% will ever run for more than a week. The rest will be waiting ages for the right spare part to arrive. Meanwhile they will receive a lot of the wrong spare parts. Many will be detroyed by the Ukranian to prevent the rusian from taking them. Not that I really believe the russians have any use for them.
@@tonyr4873 He is kind of right about the Boer war, not that it matters here.
One minor correction: It´s a british tank so it used aluminium alloy armour, not an aluminum alloy armor!😜
Alooominneeeummmm
@@Taskandpurpose no no that'll never do. " Alyuminee um" that's much better.
@@Taskandpurpose "iiiii-looooo-miii-nummmm" ya don't have a leg to stand on lol.
As compared to the titanum or magnesum alternatives
@@MatthewMakesAU Bet you had to fight predictive text for that.
Fun fact - this tank used to finish its test run back to the factory on the road past my primary school. Funny to see the lollipop lady stopping a tank for you to cross the road! And the Alvis factory that used to build them in Coventry is now a Morrisons supermarket...
I was the gunner in a scimitar for 6 years, great vehicle, will literally go anywhere, and up anything, its not designed to get into a fight, it's for long range reconnaissance, the gun is there as a last resort, if you are in a fire fight behind enemy lines you have failed. The vehicles are used to get to a point behind the lines, then you dismount and close target recy on foot, bring in airstrikes , steal info from the enemy ect. The armour only protects you from small arms fire. One of the great things about his vehicle is you can you through a forested between trees nice and quite, the enemy will be watching the roads but you can use the dead ground in a forested to slip through the lines, the vehicle is about the same size as a land rover. Took some American marines out in one in the desert, they were used to their lav 25's, dont think they like it much, too small for them 😁
"will literally go anywhere, and up anything"
Ah so that's why the gay club had one parked in a corner. I was wondering.
@@nvelsen1975 ffs
Small arms fire might not be the primary hazard across most of Ukraine's operations. How about artillery shrapnel and shell fragments? If it's good for that, that's exceptionally useful.
@@nvelsen1975 hahahahahahaha
This is one of my main criticisms of Ajax (amongst lots of others) it's too big to do this....
The best thing about the FV103 Spartan is that it's road legal in the UK. You can drive it to Tesco if your heart so desires
We aren't allowed blades longer than 3 inches but we are allowed this.
I mean you can’t own the cannon or other guns on it legally in the UK at least, so it’s harmless.
@@sungukyun2608 the schoolchild I ran over on the way to Tesco didn't seem to think it was harmless
How many bags of shopping can they take? I'm interested in buying one to replace me walking over to the co-op on foot.
@@oliverrugg3732 I could’ve ran over some kids with my Honda Fit the other day, it’s just as dangerous as a unarmed tank, different effects same outcome.
Why do I own a sword and a 6 inch knife then?
I have a childhood memory of being in the ancient family car, thrashing its lungs out at 50mph down the motorway and having a fleet of those just come sailing past us in the outside lane. It left an impression.
Fun fact: They can be transported inside ISO intermodal containers, and by anything that can carry those.
So they can take full advantage of civilian infrastructure, and don't require specialist tank transporter vehicles which in turn require specially trained and licensed drivers, which gives them an insane level of operational mobility.
...which turns civilian container transporters into legitimate military targets
@@tubthump - And your point is? Civilian Transport is always used and commandeered in Wars, remember the Falklandas all the civilians ships all crewed by volunteers?
@@davedmufcdavedmufc7176 I was thinking in terms of military kit being concealed within civilian transportation. Civilians wouldn't realise the risk of being close to it.
@@davedmufcdavedmufc7176 not the same
You do realize this is one of the reasons Russia keeps attacking Ukraine's "civilian infrastructure", right?
The Spanish Marines had a full company of Scorpions, 17 vehicles in total, until 2009. It was a real show to see those tiny tanks maneuvering out of the the landing crafts at 50 kmph. They were also a perfect fit for providing an extra punch to an amphibious light force
My dad was an inspector at Alvis in Coventry and worked on the prototype for this tank.. Later my brother and sister worked there too.. It's great to see this little tank has proven to be so useful..
I was stationed at RAF St. Mawgan with the US Marines...I got the pleasure to become a spartan driver, ( we used them on our reaction force) ,(QRF for you youngins) ...Man, was that thing fast, and quick on its feet! I hope one day to own one! An excellent vehicle! 7 foreward gears, 7 reverse gears and yes, you can catch air in one! Shorter stopping distance than most high performance cars!......WHAT A MACHINE!!!!!
*feet
@@Beau74 point.
ya got me....corrected!!
Man I miss that as an active base, had some really cool airshows and I even got to work on the gate guardian Shackleton restoration as a kid.
@@cornishcactus do you know what happened to her??? she's gone!.....been gone for some time now. I never could find what they did with her...🥲
@@Sean2002FU no idea, my old man works at the museum there so will ask.
Brilliant vehicles: quiet, fast, reliable, flexible and ideal for ‘sneaking around the battlefield’. Having infantry ride on the top leaves internal space for kit, rations, ammo, fuel etc. As long as the UKR only use them as battle taxis they will be ok.
@Adolfizzz0 oh look someone knows how to use ctrl - v , such an exciting use of time to paste something you did not write and no one will read under multiple comments.
Basically it's better than a transit van, other than that it's just a different form of scrap metal sent for reshaping.
It is not an infantry carrier. There is no infantry to ride on top instead of inside. There is a crew of 3. The driver can´t ride on top, neither can the commander and I find it unlikely that they replace the gunner with supplies. For the same reason they cannot be used a battle taxis. This is a vehicle for recon and that is its only purpose.
Er, it would be terrible as a " battle taxi"!
I wanna get one, preferably a Scimitar but any of the CVR(T) family is really good
CVRT series - Scorpion with a 76mm gun, Scimitar with a 30mm quick firing gun, Samaritan was the Ambulance, Spartan was infantry carrier, Samson was the REME vehicle, Sabre was a later variation which took the turret from the Fox wheeled recce vehicle and put it onto the Scorpion body - L21 Rarden 30mm cannon, Sultan was the Command and Control vehicle.
Interesting, I’ve often wondered wondered what the variations between the variants were.
No...
The Spartan was for doing donuts in on the BATUS training area.
Wheeeeeeee!
We English are hands down the absolute best in the world at naming weapons and vehicles
Sultan command vehicle. Striker swingfire missile carrier
@@greg_4201 Trojan was a bit of a mistake
My Brother was in the Armoured recon, and its key to note that the idea of being hit by a killing blow is a non issue. Because if you're hit you're dead, thus it doesn't matter. But the CVRTs are able to move over absurdly poor terrain, as they weigh fuck all (gives side eyes to Ajax) as far as armour goes. it can hit hard relatively speaking, and When blundering into tanks, they don't shoot you because if they are smart they know that you are reccie, and theirs bigger things to consider, shooting them is a waste of time and ammo.
CVRTs are excellent, Ajax doesn't really work in the role. and in many ways in that role they will be missed.
I think It’ll have a significant effect later this season when it gets muddy so being able to traverse easily
@@aldeno8055 I utterly agree, these things were used to great effect on half frozen peat bogs during the Falklands War.
@@aldeno8055 Indeed. A CVRT is like, 8 Tons, and and a 7 ft width though woods and swampish ground, is exceptionally mobile.
Dying doesn't matter in one, the enemy will refuse to fire on you in one, and your brother rode in one?
I can't imagine why the miniature military of the Uk wants to move away from them
Shooting the recon tank is a surefire way to get your position attacked. Otherwise he's just window shopping.
The fact the vehicle is small, quick, has really good range, and can carry a couple of infantry plus a stack of anti-tank weapons, makes it an ideal hit and run vehicle. It should be really effective for setting up ambushes and then getting out of the area. I think it would be extremely effective when deployed by smart, motivated troops.
Like Ukrainians defending their homeland and eliminating invaders.
Another thing that would make it a good hit and run vehicle is to make it as quiet as possible. When I was in the army and on a exercise we could hear tanks and other armor late at night, so much so that if we didn't hear those noises at night we gave no attention to the possibility of there being an armored unit nearby. One thing that would help is to give these light vehicles rubber tracks. Maybe they could quiet down the engine noise too. That would make these vehicles ideal for ambushing tanks. Like you said, "hit and run."
Yes.
And you can make tea
@@georgepalmer5497 dude i think the militaries of the world are just going to have uparmoured mountain bikes get them legs worked out real nice
It's unbelievable tha the UK are retiring the CVR(T). The Class has unique capabilities, and with a bit of thoughtful evolution could provide another 40 odd years of useful service. And BTW, we didn't pull out of Hong Kong until 1997!
Hopefully they'll continue in with the idea, maybe CVR(T)s have just hit their technological limit or will soon and that's the reason
the battlefield has evolved. in the past they were very limited in what they could do, currently they are instead basically death traps youd only use because you have nothing else to use instead. the armor can be penned by small arms fire, similar to the BMD's we saw absolutely wrecked in the start of the ukrainian conflict. they also would absolutely vaporize to an ied, they can be taken out by rpg7 heat rounds, modern countries are entering a drone age and these would fall instant victim to those too.
modern light tanks need anti drone capability, meaning you need automated anti-air turrets capable of stopping suicide drones and similar. the size is also rarely going to ever be something that matter for the UK. when it comes to defending the UK tanks are irrelevant, all you need is a navy and an airforce and prevent enemy from making landfall. that means ground vehicles only purpose is when fighting abroad. the uk have the logistical capability of delivering "full sized" vehicles to other countries so there really is no need for these countainer-friendly tanks.
modern light tanks will look more like the CV90120 Ghost etc. However even that one is a victim to being developed prior to the ukrainian war which has showed the world new threats that tanks faces. as a result its unlikely the cv90120 will be acquired by any military until yet another redesign where it adds some sort of drone defense capability, be it by adding its thermal shielding on top and not just the sides or some sort of anti air weaponry.
we see the same thing with the new rheinmetall tank. it has a drone launcher but it has no anti air capability, and the company is already designing automated short range anti-air turrets that can intercept drones and say these will be mountable on the tanks.
no point paying millions of euros for a tank that can be taken out by a 15-50k drone. wont be long before drone launchers etc almost completely replaces missile launchers. loitering munitions just make more sense in a lot of regards,.
The thing is though getting rid of them means a company that lobbies and donates to the tory party can make lots of money replacing them of course not like for like. With the extra costs and extra fees we'll probably have force half the size we used to. Lucky us hay. But Defense contractors make more profit and for the current government that's all that matters.
@Alex their replacement was agreed to many years ago... although it was meant to be in place years ago and still doesnt work 🤣🤣
@@opposed2logic the cvrt isnt a cutprice tank and was never desinged to be the air drop requirements were for rapid redeployment to support infantry in colonial bush wars. its main role was as a recce vehicle for recce a vehicle needs to be small light and quiet
it also wont get penetrated by 7.62 but a dshk would go through it. and even in afghan with roadside bombs and rpgs the scimitar with its 30mm proved effective it also got upgraded internally to put better seats for impact absorption and a v shaped hull
by the way ajax its replacment is useless for its cost we could modernise the entire challenger fleet of some 300 tanks and still have money left over to buy enough CV90s its also to big almost the same size as the challenger (spotted easy on recce) to loud for the crew shakes the crew to death to slow and to heavy (cant cross rough terrain to provide a bit of infantry FS)
Was overtaken by one on the Autobahn near Fürth in Bavaria in the early 1980s..
I was respecting the speed limit, they were not.
At Catterick we had to stop the fun practice of taking the governors off for road tests up the Darlington dual carriageway when some old guy in his Mini had a heart attack when he was overtaken in the outside lane by a Scimitar! I had a squadron to play with and can only say they are fantastic vehices.
In the 80’s I once saw a platoon of scimitars tearing up the outside lane if the m4 motorway in the UK. Cars were getting out of the way quickly.
@@nigeldunkley2986 The only reason the governors were there in the first place was because a very senior officer didn't like being overtaken, in his staff car, by a troop of Scorpion/Scimitar in the outside lane of the motorway.
POWERRRRR
Sorry that might have been me, they worked us hard the sooner we got back to base the sooner we got to sleep, of all the places they sent me Bavaria is my favourite place have many happy memory's of my time there.
The 30mm Rarden is a vicious cannon. I saw about five rounds put into something about the size of a dinner plate at about 1800m in a firepower demonstration. It's like the finger of God. It just pokes with horrific velocity.
I'll second that. I had the pleasure of shooting Rardens for a couple of years and they were devastatingly accurate. Easy to watch rounds onto target too. Cleaning the gun after a good session was quite the job, though.
@@jules-9372 30mm Rarden is being phased out for something even more deadly. 40mm telescopic. It literally has a full on APFSDS round. For some reason the Brits hate NATO standardisation and come up with their own mental ammunition all the time. Just look at British 105mm, charge super is nuts.
“It’s like the finger of god. It just pokes with horrific velocity”
Brings a whole new meaning to the term _“finger blasting”_
@@scottyotty2hotty Thanks for the update! Rarden seemed great in the 1980s, but that's a long time ago now.
@@jules-9372 well bear in mind a lot of the other armoured vehicles it'd be likely to come up against aren't gonna be much newer than that
I served for 6 years in the early 80's in a recce regiment, using all the variants. The wagons are governed down to protect the engine, and far more speed capable if you blow the governers. Our training taught us the main weapons was a last resort I.E. our role was to creep in (tracks have rubber pads on them) unseen and unheard and report back what the enemy is doing, then get out without a contact. Kitted out to enable remote recce off the vehicle E.G. big drums of wire mounted onto the side of the turret to enable a secure comms away from the vehicle closer to the enemy. Drivers (that was me) all trained to repair the wagon and assist the REME (mechanics). We were so familiar with them, I prepared the engine to be lifted out the vehicle in the middle of a forest at night without any lights (British Army does not use white light at night) after 36 hrs without sleep. Because the PSI on the tracks is so light, it is capable of traversing through swampy ground and traverse through forest due to it being so narrow. Has good (for the time) night sites and nuclear and biological capabilities I.E. a filtration system that kept the pressure inside the vehicle higher then the atmosphere outside. A toilet under the gunners seat for when locked down (a bucket) and a boiling vessel (BV) for hot drinks and cooking food E.G. dent the compo tin and throw it in the BV for 10 minutes. Speed was considered our best defence as alloy armour ain't much good against any anti armour rounds. If conflict happened with Russia in the 80's, it was considered we had two minutes to bug out after reporting a contact on the radio, as the Russians were considered to be experts at triangulation, thus when located in an OP, consideration of a quick vehicle exit from the OP was vital. If you threw a track, the gunner and driver could easaly break the track and remake onto the sprockets. The gunner and driver were multi trained to perform both roles.
I don't see how Ukraine could conduct airborne operations with this vehicle, but it's lightweight design is actually going to be very useful. The rainy season is around the corner, and there are a number of rivers and damaged bridges Ukraine will need to cross. This vehicle should do nicely for that, and it could be of great benefit the Ukrainian infantry as they drive the orcs back to Mordor.
Not really the reason why it was designed that way, but it should do nicely.
When Russia does a good will gesture of abandoning some transport aircraft then the Airborne will be back with a vengeance.
They aren't used for airborne in Ukraine. Duh...
@@karmpuscookie I was referring to it's original design goals, and how those properties will still be useful in this situation. Duh...
@@ratagris21 perfectly good time to insert "the eagles are coming" quote.
well light weight also helps it to Float so river crossing would be easier. Just strap some logs to the side and row it to other side
I was told by an ex squaddie that in the 80s the most fun you could have in the british army was in a scorpion doing 50mph on manoeuvres through rough ground in germany.
I also remember watching several of them go past me at ~50mph on the M3 when I was heading to work, they looked great.
That does sound like truly awesome fun.
Try a fox !
Until a bunch of even smaller german MK-Wiesel came out of the bushes and surpassed them with 60km/h (70km/h on the road).😏
But no matter if you got the british or the german mini tank...they are a blast to drive 😁
Even better is when they do 50mph in reverse, they go as fast backwards as they do forwards
8:06 I would just like to add that we also sent the Stormer which fires the Starstreak ground to air missile. A bit larger than a 7.62
The amazing aspect of the Ukrainian army is that they use constant innovation to adapt their tactics to the equipment available to them. They have been provided with a vast array of vehicles and equipment in addition to their 'native' resources but seem to familiarise themselves really quickly to what is available to them. No mean task for any army especially considering that the support logistics for such an array becomes very complicated , very quickly. I have no doubt that many military strategists are studying this war in awe of Ukranian tactics and strategy. I certainly am.
Considering how anemic their armed forces were just 8 years ago they've proven to be total naturals at adapting to the modern battlefield.
Well put, incredibly adaptive
They've got a similar kind, if not more ballsy attitude to us brits, a kind of attitude that I imagine will result in them using it in a very creative, cheeky and effective manner.
I did smile at this.... 'familiarise really quickly'? I think a lot of the instructors, ex-pats (former soldiers who moved to Ukraine in better times) and volunteers would have used and worked on this older kit as part of their service.
Without the 'complicating' electronics it tends to be easier to maintain.
That said, I too am impressed by both logistics management - a mixture of warsaw pact and nato equipment, and ageing equipment. All mixed in with state-of-the-art equipment. Add in hybrid warfare - osint from geotagged pictures of kit by civilians, and drones. It's been impressive.
Ukraine? This is NATO.. you know the same people that started proxy wars with Syria and many others. Amazing how Americans can cheer on Ukrainians being forced to die for a power hungry coalition of corruption.
These are solid vehicles the platform is tried and tested but old. I was crew on one for the best part of 8 years I loved my "little tank". It never failed me. Let's hope thet the Ukraines put them to good use
Just as in military aircraft, so is it true in maneuver warfare…Speed is Life.
I would choose the speed demon that doesn’t get bogged down and stuck virtually every time.
Interesting. Visited a North Yorkshire museum this week , one of their privately owned Spartans had just been shipped out to Ukraine. They've still got another three.
Commanded a troop of these wagons and I can assure you that they are excellent. Our deployment was two Scorpions and two Scimitars used in the recce role. They were quite and fast with a good combination of firepower.
Worked as military contractor during most of the 1990’s, including a base, where the Spartan was main part of an Air Defence Regiment, with the Javelin as a vehicle mounted SAM, I believe. The fact that it remained in service for over 30 years is testament to its versatility.
The Scimitar version armed with the 30mm cannon was described in the British army as “the formula 1 sewing machine”
😂 never heard it get called this. But it’s a good description
In american, it would be called a formula 1 Singer. (The most ubiquitous sewing machine this side of the pond, chaps) Cheers.
Singer sewing machines were started to be manufactured in Glasgow, Scotland. The company assumed the title of being the first overseas company in the world.
@@ronpirie 😅😅americans are hilarious😁
@@Stan_the_Belgian singer are an American company that opened a factory in Glasgow to cater for the British market…
Spartan reccy vehicles have a solid reputation amongst my UK Army friends.
Of course they would over rate it
interesting point, to try to sell the effectiveness of Ajax as a reccy vehicle, they gave it to the RAC to test, which as you may notice not a armoured Recon regiment... They thought it was supper light weight, manoeuvrable, small... of course they were comparing to CR2..
Actually (on the whole) reccy thought in simple terms "I'm not convinced". Its heavy slow and the armour is ineffective (because on both if hit you're dead, but the CVRT can at least buck fast, Ajax cant). Theres features to it that make Ajax interesting to reccy but at the same time, its unproven, as well as not really gelling with the armoured reccy role,
Of course this happens with any new vehicle, but not without reason. Faith in equipment is naturally earned. CVRTs on paper are kinda junk, but the users know how to use them and know what they offer, Ajax.... as it stands feels like it subtracts from operational capability. In time it may prove itself, But I know a few who question that future even if its one they may have to accept.
@@Element905 The CVRTs are fairly well rated, amongst its own. There's not the pretence to survivability as there is non. The Key thing of CVRTs is not offence, not defence, but to to the role as recon, and limited infantry support. in that roles is very good.
Plus its/they are cost effective, and relatively easy to maintain.
@@nomadicjack seems like it needs significant mastery to op as a taxi
Still overrated
As an example of the extremely low ground pressure (one third of a man), one commander in the Falklands (they were light enough to easily get on shore during the hostilities), jumped down from his vehicle and sank up to his knees in the bog that the scimitar was comfortably standing on top of.
I always liked seeing these and the German Wiesel rip through the fields in (west) Germany. They both had similar tasks and only the speed of the British version was much better. When it comes to maintenance the Wiesel was easier to maintain and they had a TOW on top. The Wiesel 2 is even better but also heavier than the original.
Wiesel 2 with the 120mm mortar (and a spotting drone) is tiny and mobile AF. But with a nasty punch.
They are working on a replacement for the Wiesels called LUWA... With a 30mm auto cannon instead of the original 20mm gun... Its pretty cool... Has 4 tracks instead of 2 and is about the same size as a Wiesel 2...
@@GearHedd The LuWa always reminded me of the H.I.S.S. tank of saturday morning GI Joe fame.
A return to the tankette (or self-propelled hasty fighting position as I call it) makes sense in the era of MBT killing missiles and budgets.
Quantity has a quality all it's own, especially when the mobility means you can truck 30 mike mikes, mortars, and optically guided missiles to unexpected firing points with absurd speed and more buddies than your opponent can afford to keep paying for missiles to deal with.
Both superb kit but underrated coz of their size !
@@WindFireAllThatKindOfThing Thats what im thinkin as well lately... It costs like 8 million to crank out say a K2 tank in 2022? How much would it cost to build like a modern era Wiesel with say a Stugna P system on top of it... Its like 100,000 dollars for a Stugna P setup with launcher, monitor/control setup and etc... How much would it cost for the modern era Wiesel itself? Im guessin a LOT less then a K2... Then there is the maintenance and fuel and etc as well. The original Wiesels with 20mm guns or TOW missiles used 86 horsepower engines... The Wiesel 2s used 120 horsepower engines... Dirt cheap to buy and build... And they sip gas... An engine for a K2? Sucks down gas and costs a fortune to replace when needed... Then it takes 3 or 4 guys to man a tank? But 2 for say a modern era version of a Wiesel with a Stugna P sitting on top? Driver with a guy in the back sitting in front of the monitor/control setup... The Stugna can hit from like 3.4 miles away... And from that distance good luck seeing a Wiesel that is trying to not be seen... Tanks are great and all but there is a place for the Stugna P Wiesel in my mind... Cheap... Easy to maintain... Sips gas... Doesnt weigh much... Easy to hide... Quick... Easy to train people to use... On and on and on... And it can take out tanks from over 3 miles away...
Same sentiment I have for the M113... "Better than walking." And aren't they just the most adorable looking little killing machines 🥰
I was mechanized infantry and the only thing we used 113's for was our medics. There was no comparison between it and the Bradley when comparing protection and firepower. That said, when bullets start flying you want out of that metal coffin as soon as possible no matter what kind of a vehicle it is.
@@bigmekboy175 Yep. Im not hanging around either once we take fire in that thing. But you bet before that time comes you're real happy you had the option to not hoof it for the next 20 miles. Ukraine's going to need as many as they can get to move their mass of infantry along such a wide front. 100% agree with everything you said, still rather have it than not.
Amen they do look cute
Did your M113 have a 30mm cannon and full 2nd gen night vision? its not an APC and its not used as one.
@@zoiders Nope. But Ukraine still needs them 100%. I already agreed with the other guy about it. Its to get their infantry in/out there and resupplied faster. The civilian vehicles Ukrainians are currently using needs any armored help it can get. And if you haven't noticed, they are already being used to hitch a ride to and from the front whether its a dedicated apc or not...
Another interesting fact about it's light footprint is that it pushed such low poundage per square inch that it could actually run over your foot and not break your toes, it probably wouldn't even split your boot.
Ground pressure 5lbs per square inch. It was a Spartan and Scimitar commandeer for a number other years this vehicle will go anywhere. Even used them in the the jungle in Central America Belize. A really good Wagon
I was part of the CVRT conversion team when i served , the old Jag engines where swapped out for Cummins diesel's as part of the single fuel program ,which is what you see at 4:09 painted white .
We had Scorpians in the New Zealand Army ,Great for there designated role,and think they had 6 gears forward and 6 in reverse and can do max speed in both with the modified 4.2 Jaguar 6 ie E type,XJS motor ,these little tanks are super fast and have a special feature of a boiling water system so you can have a hot cuppa anywhere the tank is providing the tankers will share their hot water
The six reverse gears were originally requested by the Italians.😂
Got to poke all around at but not ride in a Scorpion 6 years back
Just sitting there it looked bloody menacing 😆
@@normanboyes4983 Beat me to the Italian joke 🤣
@@yorkshirecoastadventures1657 In fairness the Italians just wanted 3 reverse gears but the French insisted on 7
They were retired from the NZ Army in the early 90's. They weren't suitable for the NZ terrain because they use to roll easily and a few people died in them.
The whole point of the scorpion was to not engage with the enemy.
All infantry recce units in BAOR were issued these. They were fast, quiet and small, ideal for recce, the RARDEN cannon was used in emergency situations to get it out trouble if spotted by the enemy, it was a very capable recce vehicle, and when manned by an experienced crew could gather into in enemy positions and movement without being seen.
The Spartan was designed to go fast through wet open fields and small villages in Eastern Europe. As such, it was perfect for the Kharkiv Oblast. It would also be perfect for the Kherson operation. The UK deemed it unlikely that a war would break out in Eastern Europe, after the Cold War ended, so it started to put this vehicle on the back burner and a lot of them are mothballed down the road from where I live, and indeed right next to where I used to work. I would bet that the UK was pleased to be rid of them. They are really simple vehicles, easy to maintain, use little fuel and can be quite intimidating if you are in a trench and one of these is hurtling towards you and you do not have an RPG. Big tanks are pretty useless in those big open fields, especially in wet weather. So, if the USA is thinking of sending Abrams tanks, think again. Send light vehicles like the Bradleys, and longer range howitzers and missile systems. This war would be over already if the West would just send the right kit. But, I suspect the UK and USA want to see Russia's army totally destroyed, Russia humiliated, and its Air Force shot out of the skies. No need to ask/negotiate for Russia to demilitarise if Ukraine can do it by force, which is what is happening. It is certainly making China think again about Taiwan.
That UK was involved directly in an eastern european war when the Cold War ended, they never decided that.
Lolol.
Light vehicles like Bradlys.
Bro. They are as heavy as a lot of countries man battle tanks.
@@bkane573 An armored car with a cannon which is not even 105 mm, which is probably 30 mm, as main battle tank?
The U.S. strategy is to provide Ukraine with the needed equipment & ammo to defeat the invading Russians, but also to string it out for a long enough amount of time such that it totally grinds down Russian troops and materiel.
Unfortunately, a protracted fight is harder on the Ukrainians, too. A quick fight would cause less damage, death and destruction to civilians and infrastructure. I do like kicking the teeth out of Russia's military, though.
@@yuri30027 It isnt a car. It is tracked. It also is heavy as hell. It isn't a light vic, and kills a lot of main battle tanks.
The CVRT in a nut shell is designed to move the crew commander around the field at speed and difficult terrain (it’s tracked). To provide a small amount of protection for the crew commander (it’s armoured). To bite back In self defence (30 mil cannon and coax 7.62). It does these things so it’s most important cargo, the commander can give Timely and accurate intelligence to influence the battle space and if he needs to hit the enemy as a forward observer whilst calling artillery on to target.
Loved crewing these. First mechanics lesson I received was how to take the fuse out of the speed limiter. The result is a lot more than 65 mph. My dad was driving in the autobahn in 1975 and a scimitar overtook him.
More importantly, these things go ANYWHERE. The bit about low ground pressure is true.
Not likely. Tracked vehicles aren't allowed on the Autobahn outside emergencies. They often don't fulfill the minimal speed requirements of 60kph, but even if they do, they generally require transportation on STvO approved heavy goods transports.
@@Warentester CVRTs are fully road legal and they do go over 80kmh
@@WarentesterDuring the Falklands war, I looked out of my office window to see two scorpions driving down Washwood Heath Road, Birmingham. No transporters were required because they have rubber tires to reduce the pressure on the tracks when they travel on paved highways.
In the 70s, my uncle was radio operator on chieftains but did a conversion training exercise on scorpions and his driver disabled the limiter and took the larv (light armoured reconnaissance vehicle) up to almost 80mph. The limiter was there to prevent excessive fuel consumption and to protect the engine and drive train from damage due to stress but boys will be boys.
@@obi-ron Last time I checked the Autobahn didn't go to Birmingham. StVO does not apply in the UK.
@@Warentester the vehicle in question was specifically designed to include road use and 65 mph is around 108 kph. At around 10 600 kg it is also lighter than many wheeled road vehicles.
My father served on the cvrt family of vehicles and I have been lucky to help maintain some in a museum. Everybody I encounter is a fan of their specific model and is still proud of having served on them. They seem to be an excellent fit for fast light infantry deployments. Although they are engaged in battle a little further east then expected they seem to excell at doing what they were meant to do.
In Afghan we used our Scimitars in a dual role. We provided Reconnaissance screens for the battle group, and we would also provide close in fire support for the infantry. They managed well despite their age but after 6 month the wagons were very tired. I went through 3 Torsion Bars, One Gearbox and by the end the hull was cracked. But they are fast rugged and easy to maintain for the most part.
I have wondered on their ruggedness in such adverse enviroment
I do wonder how Scorpions fared in this are in the Falklands givne the complete reverse of conditions
@Samuel Kubinec I'd recommend reading 'first Scimitar into Stanley' in all CVRT accounted itself well in the Falklands. Its very low ground pressure ment it didn't sink and in the wet ground. This gave it the edge over the Panhards which being wheeled where restricted. There's an account of the Panhard being dug in and the HCR waiting till night to engage them due to them having no night vision capabilities. They also where used well to run casualties back to the Aid post and run Ammo up the line. It seems multi role is somthing CVRT has always been good at.
@@youngy1919 Thanks a lot for the recommendation.
Yeah the nimble & low pressure seem ideal for the bogs, peats snow and such in wintery Falklands.
My first sight of these was a pair passing our trenches at great speed on Salisbury Plain. Long time ago but my (probably exaggerated) recollection was that they were in the air as much as on the ground and one executed a sharp left hand turn without reducing speed. So impressive.
It's how they tempted boy racers into the army. Promise them a hot-hatch tank...
I’ve driven one of these with the 9th/12th Royal Lancers. Can confirm the boiler inside is beloved by the troopers.
snap
They are not a tank - the hint is in the name Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance. At that they are superb. Fast, small, easy to conceal, and brilliant for setting up a quick recce screen. I was 2 1/c of a Squadron, and my Sultan Command vehicle was excellent. Never broke down with good driving (watch the jerk on the crankshaft on range change for 3-4), and difficult to get stuck. Yes you can get 2 in a container, and one under a Chinook!
As for ammunition storage in the Scimitar. The point was that the gun was not really designed for fast auto fire. It was a mini tank gun firing 30mm HE (Common shell), A small APDS round and APSE (described as shot on the fire order). This was optimised to take on the face hardened armour of the BTRs, and kill the crew. There was no need to go blasting 30 rounds at a BTR - if one knows how APSE worked, one round was lethal. The round was not designed to penetrate in the conventional sense, nor was the filling explosive.
Would a Scimitar knock out a tank - depends. I gather the only Challenger to be knocked out in Iraq 1 was in a friendly fire incident where a Scimitar of the recce regiment shot a CR up the jacksie. The round penetrated , destroyed the gearbox and stopped the tank. Fortunately the error was realised and the Scimitar didn't open up on the crew with the co-ax, which would be the normal procedure.
More of an armoured car with tracks
The ‘spartan’ has a crew of 2 (driver and commander) the third hatch is the team commander who deploys with the four man dismounted team (ie-5 man team). The thing you need to understand about this initial series of vehicles is that they are ‘recon’ vehicles. They have fire power, but ideally they shouldn’t be using it. If they do something went wrong. My main point is the Spartan is ‘not’ an armoured personnel carrier. We had FV432 and later Warrior for that purpose. Other versions were developed like striker and a mortar version, but these were later support variants for infantry and artillery support as well as other variants that we Brits are great at inventing (eg - ww2 funnies etc)
Exactly. We could get a full section of 8 men plus kit in a 43 and the 434 Samson was a superb recovery vehicle.
CVRT's have also been sold to civilians domestically here in the UK.
And for what you get they are at a good price of around low to mid tens of thousands.
Sadly the weapons don't come with any ammo and have been disabled but hey you get a tank that is road legal to drive around in.
Cheaper than a tesla!
@@Sinyaoalmost ANYTHING is cheaper than Tesla or any other EV for that cars bracket, in fact, as an engineer, I wonder how they justify these insane prices for electric cars, way simpler than IC and simpler to assemble, yes, the battery costs, but you can buy a full pack, prebuilt, for around £3500, then you really just need a speed controller/charger, and a single speed industrial motor, the engineering and maintenance on an IC engine is huge compared to electric, cost for cost, the EV should be cheaper.
as proof, you can buy a Chinese EV for about 6k, yes!, a Tesla has better range, performance and build quality, but not 40k worth of quality and range (in fact...... 47k/6 = 7.8....the Chinese EV does just over 100 miles, so that's 780 miles battery range, 8 motors and speed controllers, 31 seats and almost 8 body shells and 32 wheels). a bit simplistic, but you get the point?.
I have a hard time believing Elon just wants to save the planet, more like he wants to make an opportunistic killing while the tec is fresh and the demand is there, same goes for the other manufacturers, honestly, you could electrify an IC car for a fraction the cost of a Tesla, wild example, you could buy an E type jaguar for 60k restored, pull the engine, transmission and fuel system, stick in a 10k battery, 5k for motor and controller (motor in diff location, batteries under bonnet where that v12 jag engine went, controller in that huge trans tunnel)
parts cost for that would be 75k, plus labour, compared to 100k for a model S or X, I know what I would rather own. (moot point really, my job only pays 22k a year, but the price gouging going on is really annoying me and I would like an electric car sooo much)
sorry for the wall of text, new car prices for EV's really annoy me and you used a trigger phrase 😅
@@jongarrat2417 I figured the same on a FIAT 500 mate, buy a decent second hand one and fit Tesla battery, motor, etc and it would be around 10k cheaper that the e500. I wonder if you could make an eSpartan.. 😎
@@andrewmorgan1819 QinetiQ have made an electric Stormer...
@@dogsnads5634 I wonder if there's a video of that, that could be quite impressive 😎
Love CVRT’s cheap, fit inside a standard car garage and road legal. Plus loads of options shame they didn’t keep developing it and a shame the British army didn’t order the fv108 streaker after the Falklands or the later stormer versions I believe they only got 2 or 3 versions of the stormer’s
Speaking of garages, when one of the recce scimitars was finished being worked on, by the REME, the driver moved it outside, only problem...the barrel was raised and it well, was pushed back into the turret.
I agree. Surely not being where the enemy expects you to be is a 1/3rd of the battle. Knowing where the enemy is, is another 1/3rd. Not as possible with the usual armour fielded by the Russians and the USA.
I can speak from experience that they fit through the drive-thru of a McDonalds - as well as can be underslung from a Chinook.
@@wessexdruid7598 there’s a great photo of a Samson being recovered by bravo November during the Falklands if I remember correctly they only attached the tow cables to one end so it was dangling vertically
I was heading north from BMH Hanover in a land rover back in 74. We were travelling flat out (about 60 plus miles an hour and we were passed like we were standing still by a pair of Cavalry Scorpions from one of the tank regiments. They were travelling on the autobahn at around 80 miles an hour, it was unusual to see armour (even that light) travelling so fast and so has stuck in my memory since then. These were the straight six Daimler engine variant before the "upgrade" to diesel.
I have some friends that are in a milsim group and they actually have one of these bad boys suited up for airsoft, dummy rounds and mounted lmgs. It was terrifying when I played against them
Fun fact: James Blunt served in one of these when he was in the military
The man who questioned the top NATO General Clark (a Yank) when told to engage the Russians at Pristina airfield in Kosovo. While questioning the order given the possible outcome a certain General Jackson (senior British commander) came on the air and told him to 'Sugar off round the airfield' so Blunt took his recce platoon and a lot of very disappointed Paras and encircled the airfield.
This was when General Jackson epically told General Clark "I'm not going to start World War Three for you". Jackson then visited the Russians and (in fluent Russian and bearing vodka) they agreed to hold fire and leave at a suitable time while the British provided rations. Of course it went to the top of the political tree but only Jackson was backed. So a British Compromise was found. Clark was later relieved of his command. Jackson was promoted.
@@1chish Now THAT's a fun fact.
@@1chish Exactly. There is a time and a place for 'gung ho', but this wasn't it! Mike Jackson was a top bloke and still is.
@@RichardASK He certainly is. Old School Para and senior officer. Allegedly he gargled with sandpaper ....
This explains the curious timbre of his voice.
I used to drive scimitar (the one with the 30mm) when I was younger, so a couple of observations on your comments.
1. Idle, in the British army these were mainly meant for reconnaissance (eg. target acquisition for the Challenger etc), you drove fast to your next OP, and then pretty much switched your engine off & camouflaged, not to save fuel but to decrease your thermal signature.
2. Armour, we were often told the Alloy was not that great, eg. AK at 10m could penetrate, so it was mainly placebo, but then you were not meant to be seen.. :)
3. As another poster mentions, you totally forget to mention the BV for making that most important cup of tea.. :)
4. Even though that 30mm was meant for defence, it really did pack a punch. Even using practise rounds in Wales I remember it ripping a Chieftain tank to bits, can only imagine what HEI or better Sabot (APDS) rounds would have done to it.
Have heard about 1QDG scimitars making a mess of T62s in Iraq in 91.
The CVRT chassis is one of the best things we ever made
Before i was detached for other duties i was a CVRT scimitar cmdr .....loved the gun.....loved the tank....loved it all !!
I drove Striker, a Swingfire armed CVR(T). Drove one for almost for 5 years. CVR(T) was perfect back in the day and is still extremely useful even on today's battlefield.
What Battery ?
@@FHIPrincePeter I wasn't in the RA.
"... Chew through the ammo in a couple of minutes on a good day" - if you're chewing through ammo, you may in fact be having a bad day.
That means you're in an "adversary-rich environment".
If I was going through ammo at that rate I would be very disappointed if the bloke on the receiving end wasn't having a significantly worse day than me.
@@penhullwolf5070
Well, recon have succeeded and found the enemy.
Time to call in the cavalry!
@@LuvBorderCollies "Target rich environment"
Their small size and weight also means they can cross small bridges that may not have been taken out like the main river crossings. They fit on narrow country roads and between trees in forested terrain and are great in tight urban areas such as the small villages of Ukraine. Slava Ukraine 🇬🇧🇺🇦💪🏼
This has arguably been one of the major downfall to Russia's tanks: they're not designed for urban areas nor traveling on long roads.
WHOO! LIGHT CAV TANKS! This vehicle is IDEAL for the conflict. And it makes sense to not send the 30mm variant, the scimitar. With that, you need the ammo, which they won't always necessarily have. But with the troop transport, you can just lob a few more dudes on top with nlaws or panzerfaust 3s or javs, and do the same work.
We used the Scorpion tank in our army for years. In the jungle and counterinsurgency they had no equals for light infantry support. We have never used them in a conventional conflict, though. I believe our general staff is looking into the lessons of the Russo-Ukrainan War. Among other things, they are probably looking at how these Spartans are being used.
I think the gasoline engine has been replaced by a 6 cylinder Cummins diesel of 5.9 liter displacement. It has 2 valves per cylinder and 190 HP.
Correct. Jaguar stopped making the 4:2 litre petrol engine years ago.
I used the Samson recovery variant in the Falklands (post hostilities) and it was a joy to drive. Could get it just about anywhere.
I believe the driver controls were designed to match those of the Chieftain tank, the U.K. MBT at the time. So the gear change, steering etc were the same controls, meaning drivers could more easily transition between vehicles
Funny enough as to your joke about rich brits buying these for their kids, it’s entirely possible and not insane. There’s a decent number that are privately owned and a surplused one will run you about £30k. They’re quite popular because they bring all the clout of owning a tank without the insane fuel prices of owning one
it's the perfect vehicle for patrolling one's country estate.
@@cbrtdgh4210 It'll keep you safe from the savage fury of the British Badgers.
@@cbrtdgh4210 Or your neighbourhood in the suburbs, either way it is a good way of keeping the proletariat out.
Great video, extra credit for using cheeky in the correct context as well!
No idea this vehicle existed, but British down to a tee. Not specified for anything, but useful for everything. Sometimes simplicity is best!
When in West Berlin from 1981 to 1984 I observed British Scorpions and Chieftains, NATO's smallest and largest tanks, on exercise and in parades. The British Army used a unique urban camouflage in West Berlin.
This tank is close, those are far away??
I was stationed in Berlin 85-87. If there had ever been CVR(T) in Berlin they were gone by then.
I was trained on the Scimitar when I was with the Queen's Own Yeomanry. Our version had the full optical package and Life Extension Programme upgrade and it was brilliant! My gunnery skills were better at night with their BGTI system! Excellent bit of kit, though obsolete in this day and age, it's probably perfect against Soviet era Russian armour.
Spot on Ian. Although Scots DG, I went on loan to 16/5L in Herford so from big Tonkas to Sports Cars on Tracksfourt troops of Scimitar, a Boot Troop of these things, two Sultan for my SHQ and the usual other wee dinky toys like Striker with Swingfire Samson for the LAD and Samaritan blood wagons. I have never enjoyed armoured soldiering more - fast, highly manoeuverable, quiet, sleek low profile and plain fun to handle in the medium Div Recce role. So great that the Ukes have got some to play with now boggy winter conditions are going to be a problem for anything with a ground pressure problem. Slava bogu, slava Ukrainii!
Embedded with infantry its a really useful vehicle. The night vision and the coms alone are enough but throw in the cannon and you have a vehicle that can sniff out the enemy and then wait and watch while a company puts in a night attack, providing fire support if needed. Tanks existing just to kill other tanks is a bit meta in the age of the Javelin.
Yeomanry…pfft, I’m ex 9/12L and during exercises the yeomanry refused to sweep the mud thrown from their tracks onto the road so WE had to do it. Bloody weekend warriors 🙄
@@Lancer_78
9/12L? To be fair if I had manlets of just 750 mm tall I'd also make them do all the cleaning. 😉
@@Lancer_78 that was the life you chose, we just did it for fun!
I was a Spartan Operator in the British Army. Great fun wee thing, when it worked... :D
Steering pneumatics failed once when I was hoofing it along a road at 45mph... that was fun.
Neat little intro to a fascinating family of AFVs. (As a kid growing up in Australia in the 70s, I had a model of the Striker variant, which could spring-launch little plastic missiles from the rear magazine. 🙂)
That is a cool little vehical. Anything armored, light, fast, and reliable is always awsome.
@@tonyb7387 Sad!
Meth house at the back of the property in NZ: 181 hibiscus coast highway, new Zealand
FV 103 Spartan not only has a Luxury JAGUAR 4.3 Liter engine, it also has special military valves assemblies to burn poor quality fuel. The salvage metal value is a gold mine. The hull and turret were built out of an aluminum-zinc-magnesium alloy that is lighter and stronger than any aluminum frame in the world. This mini-tank is designed for speed and air transport ease.
I served on those CVR(T) for 15 years in the 9/12th royal lancers.
I have seen these vehicles up close and personal at tye Bovington Tank Museum, Dorset, England.
They are very versatile vehicles and the Ukrainians will be pleased !
They are putting Brimstone and Martlet on EVERYTHING here including Spartans. In fact, Spartan is an amazing platform for them.
Oh my, the ww2 analog would be putting a 16 inch gun on a destroyer, but without the weight. That IS a lot of kill for an armoured pocket rocket.
Imma fan of the guided 70mm Hydras. One of these bad boys with a 7-shot plus a reload would be precision punch.
@@CorePathway Laser guided versions would be great, who needs a canon when you have precision strike rockets. A canon is cheaper, though.
@@nomadicjack about.....??
Agreed !!! Thanks, was unclear if you meant him or something regarding Cappy. :)
You know, I saw a general say that on this recent offensive, Ukrainians used wheeled APCs to a great effect. In Europe, at least Finland and France have provided those. Could you do something about the topic, like maybe a comparison between wheels and tracks in military use?
I was a troop leader with a Canadian Army troop attached to the British Army Training in Suffold live fire exercise. We were equipped with the M113 Lynx recce vehicle, which has the engine in the rear. I bet the troop leader of the British Recce troop equipped with Scorpions that I could beat him in a cross-country race over the prairie. He took me up on the offer, so the race began. The long and short of it was that I won because my engine was in the rear, and I could float over undulations in the ground, and his vehicle with the engine in the front had to slow down. It was an excellent bottle of Scotch Whiskey that I won.
4:41 Little did we know airtransport isnt possible anymore, but since it lightweight we could probly make an artillery capeable of shooting the damn thing behind enemy lines xD
It's awesome to see this versatile little tracked buggy finally doing what it was designed to do. It's clear the users love them, and the version equipped with the 30mm Rarden can destroy nearly any armoured vehicle, then bugger off at 50mph off road. What a weapon. Given it's seeming success in the Ukraine, the utility of this little tank (yeah I know it's not a tank) may lead to newer designs of a similar sized platform. I look forward to it.
It's similar to a light tank except it can cary a few infantry. Could still do the light tank with infantry combined arms role.
I was in the REME in 1985 and worked on this as a young solder. Bloody awesome vehicle that was so much fun to drive over cross country. They had a J60 (jaguar) petrol engine with optronic ignition, which was sexy as fk back then. Great vehicle - does exactly what it was intended to do. Get in, reconnoitre, get out quickly.
" does exactly what it was intended to do. Get in, reconnoitre, get out quickly"......yes mate, and that's exactly why a few donkey wallopers of 'The Cold Age' had these dark horse fast cats accused of being the other woman in Household Div. divorce cases at the time.
By the way Sparks.....you wouldn't happen to have any plugs for a 432 handy would you?
About 10-15 years back, the current CVR(T) had an overhaul and was retrofitted with a more powerful diesel engine! It's range has improved with no drop in speed! Horrid to work on due to size constraints and old bulkhead designs, it is relatively simple otherwise which means you can bodge it easily! Exactly what the AFU need!
@@johnh3095 Made me remember the old FV432 APC, which had a K60 Foxtrot engine and was lovely to work on once you ripped it out of the bulkhead. The K60 Golf was the same engine, repackaged to fit into the FV433 Abbot and the WORST pack ever to work on - in fact we used to give it to anyone who had fucked up for some reason as a punishment. Bloody awful thing to work on.
I own one of these, well the CVR(T) FV101 Scorpion. It's nice because most of my property is marshland, and I can easily traverse it with my CVRT light tank and it doesn't get stuck. My HMMWV and Czech OT-64 on the other hand can't really get far into it especially during the wet season.
No one likes a braggart. 😡🤬😠🥺😖😩😫😭
you lucky man.
In my town there is a scimitar with a 30mm autocannon on display outside an army reserve centre. While it is kind of badass, it might be of better use being brought back to life and shipped over to Ukraine.
I wonder if they can reactivate that Harrier outside the Air base on the A1 near Grantham.
If it is just sitting outside an Army Reserve center? It is likely stripped inside.
If it isn't stripped, it is likely in very poor repair, and would likely need to be refurbished at fairly significant expense.
If however, it is kept in good, running condition? Then yeah, I would agree.
Just have to hope nobody nicks it like what happened with the Churchill tank in my home town...
A lot of display or gate guard tanks were often filled with concrete
@@davidorf3921 I wish they'd done that with the one in my home town, as it would have been a lot more difficult for someone to steal! Some helpful soul prised off an access panel when it was still there however and it looked an awful lot like an intact engine in there. Which may explain why someone helped them self to the whole thing.
The old joke about being able to fix anything in the Army with green nylon string and black nasty ( duck tape) is actually based on a common field repair for these. The accelerator cable which ran along the floor would snap when sand got inside and wore through the steel wire. Drivers would remove a bolt from the bulkhead separating the drivers and engine compartments thread some green string through and the it to the lever on the injector pump and now you have a hand throttle.
please cappy we want more ukraine war analysis in the coming days for what is happening in these days, they are so great and i wait for them everyday and im not lying ! thanks for all that knowledge you give us man....
If you want daily updates on the state of the war in ukraine, the best channel I've seen that covers it is "Reporting from Ukraine" here on youtube. Really great tactical insights into the events on a day by day basis!
Accept none of its true
The Missile carrier, The 76mm gun and 30 mm Rarden gun were all different types of the series. Spartan is a totally different vehicle to the Scorpion and Scimitar (Whose image is used a lot). Good post though. Scorpian (76mm gun) was taken out of service years ago because of fume problems in the turret. They were then retrofitted with 30mm Rarden turrets off the FOX wheeled tank to become Sabres.
'FOX wheeled tank' Fox was a four-wheel, turreted recce vehicle, intended as successor to the Ferret and a little friend to the Scorpion/Scimitar/ Spartan family (et al), as Ferret had been to Saladin /Saracen.
At least there’s no images of stormer used - I’ve seen so many of them, including Samson and Samaritan of all things captioned as Stormer
Extra road wheel chaps, FV’s 101 to 107 have 5; Stormer has 6
I was a Recce driver in a Spartan and I loved it. It was a great bit of kit. There was mostly just two of us so space wasn’t an issue and it was so quiet on approach in high gear low revs. Also, it was as fast in reverse as it was forward which I only really needed once but when I did it was spectacular. With a good driver/commander combo these wagons were amazing
Thanks for another great video
Scimitar - It's an old vehicle but still effective - a very low ground pressure; 30mm Rarden cannon; fast. A great recce vehicle.
Yeah I remember someone saying they have less pressure on the ground per square metre than a human foot, so they can ride over boggy ground easier than soldiers. They aint perfect but they are better than land rovers, russian apcs and walking on foot.
I once drove over an old wooden bridge I Bosnia the locals wouldn't drive over in a car, also know a guys who was run over by one and survived 😱
But it's made out of aluminum it can be knocked out quite easily but it's fast making it harder to hit
@@asimhusain8087 True, but most infantry carry enough firepower to take out MBTs, so what difference does it make in that case? If you can reverse at 90km/h you get to choose when to fight which could be critical is most cases.
the fact that theyre small is size makes them very effective to move through harder grounds, these things can hop between the trees well and can use lots of new weapons systems mounted on top for hit and run style.
As a Brit I'm really rather proud that we're the 2nd biggest donor of "lethal aid" to our friends in Ukraine, and we're not just offloading the shit stuff we don't want, but things like StarStreak, NLAW, and the M270 MLRS (with the fairly decent M31A1 precision rockets which I think are around 50-odd miles range) - very similar to the US HIMARS platform. Not only that, I understand we're doing performing and managing a huge amount of training for the Ukrainian forces both here in UK and also in Poland too which I feel is often overlooked.
What's most impressive though is that the brave Ukrainian's are using such a wide variety of technologies and platforms to their full advantage - something that can't be easy given Ukraine is being sent so many different types of kit from the West... Hard enough for each respective military to keep on top of both the operational use of the weapon systems and vehicles, let alone the maintenance of them!
Proud of what we're doing from the UK, but truly amazed at how well Ukraine are making use of all of this kit. It's one hell of an achievement. My MP is actually our new PM (Liz Truss), so I will - like I already have before she became our PM - continue to message her to ensure she knows that the British public fully supports our friends in Ukraine and we - the taxpayers - expect the UK to continue to provide all the weapons, training and supplies to Ukraine that we can.
Glory to Ukraine!
I am Ukrainian. Thank you very much for all your help!
You have such an animated and enjoyable way about you that I watch all vids till the end, even when I don’t find the topic to my interest. Such a lads lad, poking fun with witty remarks or montage that I always find your vids entertaining. If my math teacher could explain stuff like you I would have had better grades. Love the chatty way you engage your audience. A special kind of average 🙂
A CVRT got pulled over for breaking the 70mph motorway speed limit and i think that the speeding ticket ended up as a framed trophy on the regt mess wall!
During WW2 and afterwards, several British Armoured Fighting Vehicles used a modified Rolls-Royce Merlin engine! The Meteor engine was built by another company so RR didn't profit from it. (However, they did help design it, but didn't charge anything! (Something about there's a war going on!!!)
Don't forget, the Brits have 'The Ditch' between us and mainland Europe.
That makes our defence strategy very different to the rest of Europe.
@@randyross5630 us got the big puddle
Indeed, but the MoD Prefers to think (rightly ) that it doesn't exist, or can be used against the UK. This develops defence doctrine more fully. "The Ditch" is Theoretical, till its not.
IRL Its far more effective than we oft not consider it, as it may be seen as crutch, that hampers continental strategy. But in actual defence is significant, as few nations have the means to wade such boy of water.
I wonder how your go-cart would fare if billions of USD weren't supporting it in Ukraine
Most likely, it would be synonymous with failure like your island would be synonymous with an occupied nation in WW2 if we didn't ante up then
GB would never have been occupied in WWII, once the Luftwaffe had been defeated in the Battle of Britain.
The US didn’t effectively enter the European theatre of war until 1942, although notionally in 1941, when Hitler ( in his infinite wisdom) declared war on the US.
@@Element905 When did the US join the war???........
The British Army provided me one as a security escort during the Bosnian War. I was working as a civilian, running truck convoys that supported non-government aid agencies deliver supplies across the country. I drove a fuel tanker between the British base at Vitez and our logistics base in Zenica. My truck seriously struggled to keep up with it! However, it’s gun and crew saved me when I was held up at gun point at an impromptu checkpoint. I was lucky the tank commander looked back to check on me. Watching this machine scream back up the road with its turret spinning around to point its gun in my defence was amazing! It wasn’t mentioned in this video, but the Scorpion/Spartan was just as fast driving backwards as it was forwards. I only wish I could’ve bought that crew a beer or two as thanks.