Ukraine Boosts Defenses: Latvia Donates Retired British FV107 Scimitar Reconnaissance Vehicles to Bolster War Efforts
Latvia to Supply Retired British FV107 Scimitar Reconnaissance Vehicles to Ukraine
The Ukrainian army will soon receive obsolete British CVRT combat reconnaissance tracked vehicles, which Latvia has agreed to supply to Kiev, according to the Ministry of Defense of the Baltic republic.
Latvia has decided to provide Ukraine with old armored vehicles that were retired in the UK. The vehicles in question are light tracked armored vehicles of the CVR(T) (Crawler Combat Vehicle Tracked) type, produced in the UK between 1971 and 1986. They were part of the British Army until the 1990s and were gradually retired thereafter. Today, these armored vehicles are in long-term storage and are only in service in countries such as Latvia.
In 2015, the Latvian Ministry of Defense signed a contract with the United Kingdom for the supply of 123 armored vehicles of four models: FV107 Scimitar (combat reconnaissance vehicle equipped with a 30 mm gun), FV103 Spartan (armored personnel carrier), FV104 Samaritan (armored medical vehicle), and FV105 Sultan (command and staff vehicle). The FV107 Scimitar reconnaissance vehicle will be delivered to Kiev, although the exact number has not been disclosed for operational safety reasons.
Latvia is replacing these outdated vehicles with more modern Patria 6X6 APCs. The Latvians and Kiev have also promised to deliver a batch of Patria APCs, although this will not happen until next year, with the exact quantity not specified.