Tanks

FV101 Scorpion light tank

Also known as
  • FV101
  • FV101 Scorpion
  • Scorpion CVR(T)
  • CVR(T) Scorpion
  • Alvis Scorpion
  • Scorpion light tank
  • Scorpion 90
  • Scorpion 2

The FV101 Scorpion is a British CVR(T) light tank and reconnaissance vehicle built by Alvis around a 76 mm gun, high road speed, and a light aluminum hull. The catalog record covers Iranian Scorpion-family use in the Iran-Iraq War, British FV101 Scorpion use in the 1982 Falklands War and 1990 Gulf War, and later Boko Haram possession in the Lake Chad basin.

FV101 Scorpion light tank, Tracked light tank / reconnaissance vehicle, Tanks
Image source: FV101 Scorpion Light Tank.jpg

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United Kingdom
Built by
Alvis
Type
Tracked light tank / reconnaissance vehicle
Service note
Introduced in 1973; combat use documented from the Iran-Iraq War through British 1982 and 1991 deployments; captured examples documented in the Lake Chad basin conflict after 2015
Designer
Alvis Vehicles
Designed
1960s
Produced
FV101 production began in 1972; Scorpion 90 export production continued into the 1990s
Number built
More than 3,000 CVR(T) Scorpion vehicles reported by museum sources

Specifications

Crew
3
Armament
76 mm L23A1 low-velocity gun with coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun
Weight
About 8,073 kg
Mobility
Tracked torsion-bar suspension; later dieselized examples used a Cummins BTA 5.9-litre diesel rated at about 190 hp with road speed over 50 mph
Protection
Light aluminum armor; FAS lists an average armor thickness of about 25 mm
Length
4.79 m hull length
Manufacturer
Alvis
Gun family
L23/L23A1 76 mm gun family with fixed ammunition compatibility inherited from the L5A1
Variants

Scorpion designations separate the original 76 mm FV101 from export and upgrade configurations built around larger guns or modernized hulls.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
FV101 ScorpionBaseline 76 mm CVR(T) fire-support and reconnaissance vehicle

The baseline vehicle used the 76 mm L23A1 gun in a compact Alvis turret and was accepted into British service in the early 1970s.

Sources: 76 mm L23A1 Gun - Think Defence, CVRT Scorpion FV101

Scorpion 90Export up-gunned variant

Army Recognition identifies Scorpion 90 as a variant replacing the original 76 mm gun with a 90 mm main gun.

Sources: Army Recognition FV101 Scorpion CVRT

Compatible Ammunition

Nexter's 2016 catalog lists several 76 mm ammunition types usable with the Scorpion's L23 family guns.

Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
76mm Canister M333, 76 mm canister round, Munitions76mm Canister M33376 mm canister round

Nexter explicitly lists the 76mm Canister M333 for use in the FV101 Scorpion's L23 and L23A1 guns against personnel at close quarters.

Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog

76mm HE-T M330, 76 mm high-explosive tracer round, Munitions76mm HE-T M33076 mm high-explosive tracer round

Nexter lists this 76 mm round for use in the FV101 Scorpion light tank's L23/23A1 guns.

Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog

76mm HEP-T M329, 76 mm fixed HESH-T / HEP-T tank-gun round, Munitions76mm HEP-T M32976 mm HESH-T round

Nexter lists this 76 mm round for use in the FV101 Scorpion light tank's L23/23A1 guns, and Think Defence ties the Scorpion to the same interchangeable 76 mm gun family.

Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog, 76 mm L23A1 Gun - Think Defence

76mm HEP-TP-T M331, 76 mm fixed HESH-TP-T training round, Munitions76mm HEP-TP-T M33176 mm training round

Nexter lists this 76 mm training round for use in the FV101 Scorpion light tank's L23/23A1 guns.

Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog

76mm Blank M335, 76 mm fixed blank cartridge, Munitions76mm Blank M33576 mm blank cartridge

Nexter lists this 76 mm blank cartridge for use in the FV101 Scorpion light tank's L23/23A1 guns.

Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog

76mm SMK-T M337, 76 mm fixed smoke round, Munitions76mm SMK-T M33776 mm smoke round

Nexter lists this 76 mm smoke round for use in the FV101 Scorpion light tank's L23/23A1 guns.

Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog

Carried Ammunition

Catalog references place the Scorpion alongside 76 mm ammunition options for its L23 family gun.

Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
76mm HEP-T M329, 76 mm fixed HESH-T / HEP-T tank-gun round, Munitions76mm HEP-T M32976 mm high-explosive plastic projectile

Nexter lists M329 for the L23 and L23A1 ammunition family used on the Scorpion, and Think Defence identifies the Scorpion as the platform for that interchangeable 76 mm gun family.

Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog, 76 mm L23A1 Gun - Think Defence

Timeline

FV101 Scorpion light tank Key Events

  1. Accepted for British service

    Reference sources place Scorpion acceptance for British Army service in May 1970 after CVR(T) trials.

    Sources: Tank-AFV FV101 Scorpion

  2. FV101 production begins

    Tank-AFV places the first production Scorpions coming off the line in early 1972 before British unit fielding.

    Sources: Tank-AFV FV101 Scorpion

  3. First British operational units equipped

    The Scorpion entered British service in 1973 with armoured reconnaissance units.

    Sources: CVRT Scorpion FV101, Army Recognition FV101 Scorpion CVRT

  4. Falklands War fire-support employment

    IWM documents B Squadron FV101 Scorpions in the Falklands and describes them as among the only British armored vehicles used during the campaign.

    Sources: IWM Falklands photographs

  5. Operation Granby reconnaissance service

    British Scorpion units operated in the 1990 Gulf War as light armored reconnaissance and fire-support vehicles.

    Sources: British Army Gulf War Special Report, RAF Museum Alvis Scorpion

  6. British front-line withdrawal

    Think Defence places front-line British Army withdrawal of the 76 mm Scorpion around 1994, while export and foreign-service vehicles continued.

    Sources: 76 mm L23A1 Gun - Think Defence

Media

FV101 Scorpion light tank Videos

FV101 Scorpion light tank Images

FV101 Scorpion light tank, Tracked light tank / reconnaissance vehicle, Tanks - view 1
Source: FV101 Scorpion Iraq 1991.jpg
FV101 Scorpion light tank, Tracked light tank / reconnaissance vehicle, Tanks - view 2
Source: FV101 Scorpion Megapixie.jpg
FV101 Scorpion light tank, Tracked light tank / reconnaissance vehicle, Tanks - view 3
Source: CVR(T) FV101 Scorpion.jpg
Related Weapon Systems
FV104 Samaritan, Tracked armored ambulance, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesFV104 SamaritanTracked armored ambulanceThe FV104 Samaritan is the armored ambulance member of the British CVR(T) tracked-vehicle family, built by Alvis around the same compact mobility package as Scorpion and Spartan but configured for protected casualty evacuation. It is unarmed apart from smoke dischargers, carries a driver and medical attendant with stretcher or seated casualties, and is documented with British forces in Operation Desert Storm and Ukrainian service after CVR(T) transfers.
Alvis Saladin, 6x6 armored reconnaissance car, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesAlvis Saladin6x6 armored reconnaissance carThe Alvis Saladin is a British FV601 6x6 armored reconnaissance car developed from a postwar British Army requirement and produced at Coventry from 1958 to 1972. Its production Mk 2 form combined a three-person turreted layout, a 76 mm L5A1 low-pressure gun, welded steel protection, and road mobility suited to reconnaissance, convoy escort, internal-security, and light direct-fire roles. Yemen evidence remains inventory-level: Oryx lists the Saladin in pre-war Yemeni Army armored-fighting-vehicle stocks available to parties after the 2014-2015 takeover, so this entry does not claim a specific Saladin engagement in that war.
Panhard VBL M11 light armored vehicle, 4x4 light armored reconnaissance and liaison vehicle, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesPanhard VBL M11 light armored vehicle4x4 light armored reconnaissance and liaison vehicleThe Panhard VBL M11 is a French 4x4 light armored vehicle family developed for reconnaissance, liaison, infiltration, and protected movement with a compact amphibious baseline hull. The catalog record distinguishes normal French operational use, including Operation Serval in Mali, from Lake Chad basin evidence where sources document VBL M11/Panhard VBL materiel captured by, in service with, or recovered from Boko Haram and ISWAP rather than proving sustained insurgent operation.
M76 sniper rifle, Semi-automatic designated marksman/sniper rifle, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsM76 sniper rifleSemi-automatic designated marksman/sniper rifleThe M76 is a Zastava-built Yugoslav semi-automatic marksman rifle originally chambered for 7.92x57 mm Mauser and built around an enlarged Kalashnikov-pattern action. Its catalog significance is twofold: it was a Yugoslav People's Army precision rifle with distinctive 8 mm ammunition and optic arrangements, and it later appears in Lake Chad Basin reporting as a Serbian-origin sniper rifle associated with Boko Haram factions.
Scorpion 120 mm mortar system, vehicle-mounted 81 mm / 120 mm mobile mortar system, ArtilleryArtilleryScorpion 120 mm mortar systemvehicle-mounted 81 mm / 120 mm mobile mortar systemThe Scorpion 120 mm mortar system is the U.S.-marketed name for Milanion NTGS's Alakran vehicle-mounted mortar family, combining an 81 mm or 120 mm mortar, automated laying, digital fire control, and ground-transmitted recoil management. Ukrainian and defense-industry reporting documented Alakran/Scorpion use in 2023-2024, including Kharkiv-region combat and later 210th Assault Regiment training with Spain-supplied VAMTAC-mounted systems.

Sources

CVRT Scorpion FV101Publisher: Norfolk Tank Museum | Note: Supports FV101 Scorpion background, Alvis manufacture, service-entry context, armament, reconnaissance role, diesel-engine note, and production scale. | Accessed: 2026-06-21FV 101 CVR(T) ScorpionPublisher: Federation of American Scientists | Note: Supports FV101 Scorpion manufacturer, light reconnaissance vehicle type, dimensions, weight, armor, speed, and powerplant specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-21The Management of Lethal Materiel in Conflict SettingsPublisher: IPIS Research | Note: Supports 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency direct-use context: the FV101 Scorpion is listed as used by or in service with Boko Haram operatives, with caveats that seized materiel may later be recovered or destroyed. | Accessed: 2026-07-04FV101 Scorpion Light Tank.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for the FV101 Scorpion photographed at the Philippine Army Museum. | Accessed: 2026-06-21FV101 Scorpion Iraq 1991.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and public-domain licensing page for a British Scorpion reconnaissance vehicle during Operation Desert Storm. | Accessed: 2026-06-21FV101 Scorpion Megapixie.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for an FV101 Scorpion at the Army Museum in Brussels. | Accessed: 2026-06-21CVR(T) FV101 Scorpion.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for an FV101 Scorpion photographed at Bovington Tank Museum. | Accessed: 2026-06-21Nexter 2016 CatalogPublisher: Internet Archive / Nexter | Note: Supports the FV101 Scorpion's L23 and L23A1 gun compatibility with 76 mm canister and other ammunition listed in Nexter's 2016 catalog. | Accessed: 2026-06-2776 mm L23A1 Gun - Think DefencePublisher: Think Defence | Note: Supports the FV101 Scorpion's L23A1 gun context, ammunition interchangeability background with the earlier L5A1 family, and direct British Scorpion use in the 1982 Falklands War and 1990 Gulf War. | Accessed: 2026-07-04IWM Falklands photographsPublisher: Imperial War Museums | Note: Supports 1982 Falklands War direct-use context: IWM identifies an FV101 Scorpion light tank of B Squadron, The Blues and Royals in June 1982 and states the squadron's Scorpions were among the only British armored vehicles used in the campaign. | Accessed: 2026-07-04British Army Gulf War Special ReportPublisher: The British Army | Note: Supports 1990 Gulf War direct-use context: British Army Review's Gulf War special report lists Scorpion CVR(T) vehicles in British Operation Granby reconnaissance groupings. | Accessed: 2026-07-04RAF Museum Alvis ScorpionPublisher: Royal Air Force Museum | Note: Supports 1990 Gulf War direct-use context and British service background for the Alvis Scorpion. | Accessed: 2026-07-04The Iran-Iraq WarPublisher: Internet Archive / Harvard University Press | Note: Supports 1980 Iran-Iraq War direct-use context: Pierre Razoux describes Iranian reconnaissance battalion and 92nd Armored Division Scorpion use in early-war ground fighting. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Tank-AFV FV101 ScorpionPublisher: Tank-AFV | Note: Supports FV101 Scorpion development timeline, May 1970 British acceptance, early 1972 production start, engine and armament context, and broad production/export scale. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Army Recognition FV101 Scorpion CVRTPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports FV101 Scorpion identity, Alvis CVR(T) family context, broad service history, technical profile, and Scorpion 90 variant description. | Accessed: 2026-07-04