Ukraine set to receive British FV107 Scimitars by 2024 end
By the end of 2024, all FV107 Scimitar light reconnaissance tanks should be retired from service in the British army. At least some of them may end up in Ukraine. We explain the key features of these British machines, which are distinguished, among other things, by their ability to reach very high speeds.
The Ukrainian portal Defence Express notes that this is not the first time the topic of the FV107 Scimitar and the Ukrainian army has emerged.
In September 2023, reports globally suggested that the United Kingdom, as part of one of the aid packages, is preparing to transfer over 20 units of the FV107 Scimitar to Ukraine. The British Ministry of Defence confirmed the transfer only in June 2024, but so far, the FV107 Scimitar's appearance on the front lines has not been recorded.
The British are retiring the FV107 Scimitar
The British government plans to retire all of its FV107 Scimitar tanks from their army "due to their physical wear and tear." It is known that this involves over 100 units. However, it is unlikely that all of them will end up in Ukraine.
The technical condition of some units may be problematic; at least some may be treated as "donors of spare parts." There is also a scenario where the British might want to sell some of the decommissioned FV107 Scimitar units, which could interest other current users of such machines, including several non-European countries.
The fastest tank in the world
The FV107 Scimitar is a light reconnaissance tank based on the FV101 Scorpion fire support vehicle. As Łukasz Michalik, a journalist for Wirtualna Polska, wrote, these machines are record-breaking in certain respects.
The FV101 Scorpion made it into the Guinness Book of Records as the "fastest mass-produced tank" – in test conditions, it reached a speed of 82 km/h. The FV107 Scimitar, upgraded for the Jordanian army, unofficially reached a speed of over 90 km/h.
The FV107 Scimitar has a 30 mm L21 RARDEN automatic cannon and a 7.62 mm auxiliary machine gun. The entire construction weighs just under 9 metric tonnes and is powered by a 190-hp engine. The FV107 Scimitar crew consists of three people. In 2010, the British started introducing Mk II upgrades, which translated to increased mine resistance. The first versions of the FV107 Scimitar date from the 1980s.
