page_title: Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked)
section_title: Europe
hierarchical_section_title: Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) / Service history / Europe
caption_attribution_description: English: CVR(T) Demonstration in Ādaži training area
context_page_description: The Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) —or CVR—is a family of armoured fighting vehicles s in service with the British Army and others throughout the world. They are small, highly mobile, air-transportable armoured vehicles designed to replace the Alvis Saladin armoured car.
  Designed by Alvis in the 1960s, the CVR family includes Scorpion and Scimitar light reconnaissance tanks, Spartan armoured personnel carriers s, Sultan command and control vehicle, Samaritan armoured ambulance, Striker anti–tank guided missile vehicle and Samson armoured recovery vehicle. All members of the CVR family were designed to share common automotive components and suspension; aluminium armour was selected to keep the weight down. By 1996, more than 3,500 had been built for British Army use and export.
  Scorpion and Striker have now been withdrawn from British Army service. Scimitar and Spartan were replaced by Ajax and briefly the Panther before the latter's sale in 2018.
context_section_description: Four other European countries used CVR(T): Belgium, Ireland, Latvia and Spain.
  The Belgian Army ordered 701 EA CVR(T) in the Scorpion, Scimitar, Sultan, Spartan and Samaritan versions, which were delivered in 1975. They were used by the COMRECCE that comprised the 1st, 2nd and 4th Mounted Rifles Regiments (also the 3rd Lancers, which was equipped with the LEOPARD 1 tank), the CVR-T group (Armoured Recce school) and all of the scout platoons from the 12EA armoured Infantry and 8EA Tank Regiments. The Belgian Army used its CVR(T) vehicles on UN deployments in the Balkans and Somalia. Belgium had disposed of all its CVR(T)s by 2004.
  The Spanish Marines obtained 17 Scorpions in 1985. All had been disposed of by 2004.
  The Irish Army obtained a small number of Scorpions for use by the Irish Army Cavalry Corps. As the United Kingdom, Belgium and Spain have all disposed of their Scorpions, Ireland was the sole user of the type during the last decade in Europe. However, this is about to change.
  (Retired in 2014)
  The Latvian army has obtained 123 ex-British Army Scimitar, Sultan, Spartan, Samson and Samaritan vehicles. According to the contract, all the vehicles will be modernised and overhauled. First deliveries to the Latvian Land Forces will commence in September 2015. Some of these vehicles will be used as mobile platforms for 4th gen. SPIKE anti-tank guided missile systems.
caption: CVR(T) Scimitar Demonstration in Latvia
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