Latvia to Transfer Scimitar CVR(T)s to Ukraine
Latvian Defence Ministry have committed to transferring, an unspecified number of former British Army FV107 Scimitar CVR(T) reconnaissance vehicles to Ukraine. The news was reported by Baltic news platform Delfi on September 15. The Scimitars, which are sometimes referred to as a light tank, were previously purchased from the United Kingdom in 2014 in a deal that saw 123 CVR(T)s ordered by the Latvian MOD. Since the deal was signed in 2014, 116 of the tracked vehicles have been modernised. The first delivery of vehicles arrived in Latvia in 2015.
The head of the Latvian armed forces Lieutenant General Leonīds Kalniņš told journalists in a March 2023 press interview about the ongoing importance of the need for the Latvian Military to purchase more modern AFVs, explaining the impending replacement of CVR(T), he noted: “higher mobility is not the point, as CVR(T) vehicles are already very mobile. This is is more about higher power and more capabilities related to various technologies CVR(T) do not possess at the moment.”
Latvia also operates Sultan, Saxon and Spartan AFVs which were purchased from the United Kingdom, all being of Cold War vintage in the same deal which saw the country acquire the Scimitar. However in August 2024, the country received its first order of a new domestically produced armoured personnel carrier, the 6×6 Patria. As part of a joint venture between Patria Latvia and Unitruck SIA. The decision to send Ukraine the Scimitars comes shortly after a new aid deal was announced by the Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina on September 11, 2024. After a meeting between herself and the Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Kyiv.
The Scimitar first saw service with the British Army in 1974, and were present during the Falklands War in 1982, operation Granby in 1991 and later during Operation Herrick in Afghanistan in the 00s. The AFV was built by both Alvis and BAE Systems during its operational service run. Scimitars main armament is a 30mm L21 RARDEN cannon with a coaxial 7.62x51mm machine gun, the vehicle can reach top speeds of 190 horsepower (50 Mph) making them ideal for reconnaissance tasks.
In 2023 the Scimitar was retired from British service, and will be replaced by the Ajax. The United Kingdom also sent 23 Scimitars to Ukraine in 2023, as well as FV103 Spartans, Saxon and FV104 Samaritan armoured ambulances have been sent to Ukraine. While these vehicles may be older, they are desperately needed to rearm and equip Ukrainian units. The ongoing war in Ukraine has proved that Cold War warriors can indeed ride again.