CVRW Design Development.

As part of the RAC Armoured Vehicle Reconnaissance development of the 1960s. A requirement was maintained for a Recce and Liaison vehicle as a wheeled variant to the AVR tracked family of vehicles being developed (see text on RHS).

The wheeled AVR designs offered were six wheeled all drive, and at first sight might be thought to be an evolution of the Saladin. But the new design was quite revolutionary in its concept. Traditional steering relied on the turning of the first two or four wheels of the vehicle leading to large turning circles. The new design was like a tracked steering system. the left and right drive wheels were all driven from a central shaft, with a steering differental slowing down either the left or right wheels leading to a turning circle similar to a track vehicle, this was called "Skid Steering".

Ultimately the wheeled concept had issues and lost ground to the tracked vehicle scheme, and the RAC decided to take its new Combat Vehicle Reconnanissance (CVR) venture in the tracked configuration only. Meaning the replacements for the Saladin and Saracen within the new european battlegroup recce regiments would eventually be Scorpion, Scimitar and Spartan vehicles.

This still left the RAC with the requirement for a replacement for the Ferret Scout Car that had been in service since 1952. Daimler had been further developing the Ferret since production started, and by now the Mk4 (FV711) and Mk 5(FV712) models were on the design table. These models were considerably bigger than the initial Ferret Scout Car design, and called the "Big-wheeled Ferret" due to their larger 11.00 x 20in wheels.

The RAC saw in this design the natural replacement for the Ferret Scout Car, and Daimler were awarded the contract to design, develop and trail the CVRW replacement for the Ferret. Using the Mk4/5 superstructure, with a new turret being developed by Alvis for their CVRT (FV107) Scimitar, now housing a new 30mm cannon developed by RARDE at Enfield. The CVRW Fox was born, though unfortunatly Daimler were not to go on to produce this vehicle as the contract was awared to the Royal Ordinance Factory (ROF) in Leeds

Post-WWII Cold War Era

As military strategy shifted towards air liftable forces, the UK developed the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance family (CVR) in the 1960's to support air-landed troops, with both tracked (T) and wheeled (W) variants considered.

CVR(T) Series

The tracked variant initially evolved into the FV101 (Scorpion) Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) or CVR(T).

developed by Military Vehicles Engineering Establishment (MVEE) starting from scratch in January 1965, They developed the TV 15000 the for runner to the CVRT Series. Prototypes of the FV101 were tested by the ATDU at the RAC centre in Bovington. The design and development contract was awarded to Alvis Ltd of Coventry in September 1967, with extensive domestic and international trails conducted on 17no Prototypes in 1969/70. Allowing for their production to commence from 1970. The first FV101 entered services with the Blues and Royals in early 1973. with the intent that Scorpion would replace the Post war Saladin armoured car fleet. Scorpion left service in the UK in 1994, though other members of the CVRT family are only just coming out of service in 2025.

CVR(W) Series

The wheeled variant evolved into the FV721 (Fox) Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Wheeled) or CVR(W).

It was developed by Daimler from 1965 with prototypes from 1967. From the design and development stage, the production was tendered and won by the Royal Ordinance factory in Leeds. Production commenced in the early 1970's, with vehicles entering service in 1973 with the intent that Fox would replace the Post war now ageing Ferret scout car fleet. Fox left service in the UK in 1994, though is still in services in some African countries.

CVRT Design Development.

At the start of the 1960's the MOD found itself in a predicament, it still had defence commitments all around the world, but no budget to maintain them. With money being cut to overseas forces, a new smaller highly mobile force was required.

By 1961 the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) was also studying the feasiblity of airportable armoured vehicles, as replacements for the ageing wheeled Saladin and Saracen as well as the Tracked FV430 series Trojan (432) and Abbot. The problem being these post war vehicles weighed in around 12-13 tons, which was too bulky for mulitple air transportation at the time.

Early in 1964, an entirely new track vehicle was concevied by the Royal Artillery (RA), for a light weight portable close support weapons system with a 105mm Pack Howitzer, mounted in its robust structure rather than on tow (see image). Although this was not followed up by the RA, the idea of a light weight vehicle with a constructed chassis, and a driver siting at the front beside a mounted engine with a specialist crew behind had now been considered.

The Lightweight High Mobility Tracked Vehicle concept had been born, the Army initially considered 4no members of the family with a common chassis, sharing many components. The maximum weight restiction at this stage was 4.5 tons, and a maximum width requirement was set at 7ft (2.1M) to allow the vehicle to pass between rows of rubber trees in Malaya. The vehicles under consideration were  A portee anti-tank recoilless weapon carrier, a Recce detechment carrier, a Two stretcher ambulance and a Anti-APC infantry support carrier. (see images to the right). All 4 versions did find themselves into the final FV100 series of vehicles in some fashion.

As these concepts were being considered, concurrently the RAC was already drafting requirements for the Armoured Vehicle Reconnaissance (AVR) family, later to become Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (CVR). AVR requirements were based on, the replacement of the Saladin, Saracen and Ferret for Recce operation, along with new RAC operational requirements:

AVR (FS) Fire Support: a tracked vehicle to replace the 76mm gunned Saladin.

AVR (AT) Anti Tank: This was to be a guided weapons launcher to replace the FV438

AVR (A/APC) Anti APC: As the Soviet APC threat BTR / BMP was developing.

Three other tracked APC based vehicles were also considered.

AVR RAC Recce troop vehicle with a driver, commander and 4no man specialist Recce team

AVR RAC Command vehicle for command and control, carrying specialist communications equipment.

AVR RAC Ambulance vehicle with a driver, medic and upto 4no casualties.

The AVR vehicles were to make maximum use of common major components and all were to have an air transport and airdrop capability now increase to 7.7 Tons. A lot was asked of the designers, even with this limited weight, good protection against machine gun fire, 105mm shell bursts, and protection again anti personnel and larger mines was sort. In addition protection against nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) weapons was to be considered as well as river crossing protential.

It was also noted at this time, that their was a need to provide a AVR vehicle in the Liasion role, since the war this role had been done by wheeled scout and recce vehicles, and it was best thought that the replacement for the Ferret and Saladin in this role should be a wheeled version of the AVR family, though at this stage a six wheel drive vehicle was being considered (see CVRW Design Development).