A discussion area for the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) series of vehicles, including research on armament, protection, mobility, upgrades, foreign service, and variants.
With the addition of the third CVR(T) variant into War Thunder, I thought I’d create a thread dedicated to this iconic series of vehicles. As a former CVR(T) driver I immensely enjoy using these vehicles in WT in their intended battlefield role of being a sneaky little ratwagon.
I hope that in this thread we can contribute to their accurate depiction in the game, and encourage Gaijin to add more variants of this highly successful and long-serving platform to War Thunder.
In War Thunder
FV102 Striker
FV107 Scimitar
FV4333 Stormer HVM
The FV107 Scimitar Mk.2 TES(H) should be a good addition between the Warrior and the Desert Warrior. The book Scorpion and Scimitar — British Armored Reconnaissance Vehicles 1970 - 2020 by David Grummitt published by Pen & Sword Military in 2022 if I’m not wrong mentions the importance of this vehicle;
Already, following the experience in the
Balkans, it had been recognised that the
Scimitar required additional protection
against mines and Improvised Explosive
Devices (IEDs). The wars in Afghanistan
and Iraq only made this need more acute.
In 2002 a Mine Blast Protection (MBP)
was fitted and from the following year, in
preparation for Operation Telic, a further
Ballistic Programme (BP) was applied to
CVR(T) Scimitar, Spartan and Samson.
This involved fitting Kevlar composite
armour panels manufactured by the Israeli
company Plasan-Sasa to the hull and turret
sides designed to enhance the protection
offered against shell splinters. From 2004
all CVR(T) deployed as part of Operation
Telic received Enhanced Protection Bar
Armour (EPBA) designed to protect against
RPG-7 attack.
— p. 14 Upgrading the Scimitar: New challenges
I think the possible addition of this upgrade would enhance the early high tier British, and I love the British Scimitar and Scorpion series vehicles, even though they’re not the best, it attracts my attention.
Personally i feel that the Scimitar Mk.2 would be better as a premium vehicle, and then have the Scimitar LEP EM 235 as the tech tree vehicle.
They are very similar vehicles, where the main difference between them is the hull of the vehicle, the LEP EM 235 uses the hull of a Scimitar where the Mk.2 uses the hull of a Spartan APC (which is a bigger hull). Otherwise their specs are generally similar.
Scimitar 2 would be good as either the last vehicle in the TT sequence, or as a Premium. At least then it would remain available rather than being locked behind an event.
Likewise.
I’d rather not have the larger silhouette of the Mk.2 when the “Mk.1” EM235 was identical in lethality, ballistic protection and automotive performance, just on the smaller, sneakier hull that’ll be better for scouting gameplay.
Mk.2’s major “buff” to survivability was primarily against IEDs. Simply by having more space between the crew and the vehicle’s floor, and installing blast-attenuating seating. Not really a threat we’ll face much of in War Thunder: so probably not worth making the vehicle taller.
It still had no FCS (in game is wrong), no stab either. It had a more powerful diesel engine instead of the engine from an E type jaguar and thermals tho. I dont think the differences would even make it 8.0
The good thing I mention is how bad the vehicles can be, I even bought the ‘Fish’ camouflage of the FV4005. The Warrior, Striker, Swingfire and Falcon are all good vehicles to be played with, at least how I see them.
Same applies to a lot of others “bad” vehicles — labeled by the community — like the M41D, Type 60 (ATM), M551 Sheridan and others, you can list them as bad vehicles but I would at least point something that makes this vehicle interesting, to me.
Ha, we do have some gems. I do personally really like the Warrior and Barn (and while I can attest to the Falcon being filthy good, I hate playing it because I’m just naff in it haha)
Honestly the fun ones are the ones you don’t expect to do well in. I tell you what else is a shout - Olifant Mk.1A. Really surprised it didn’t go up to 8.7 with the Rooikat Mk.1D.
Good little 105mm gun with M111, LRF is pretty good as far as combos go. Penalty is of course, rather inadequate armour against anything that isn’t autocannon, and it’s ungodly slow. But otherwise, I would recommend it. Spaded it’s a monster imo.
Anyway, I do feel based on video evidence that the Scimitar is a touch too sluggish. I personally think it’s how WT’s automatic transmission is handling it, because it seems a touch too keen to push up a gear. But I’m keen to have a further look.
Just did some testing with the Scimitar in manual Transmission mode.
These are the top speeds in each gear, and what the RPM fell down to when changed into that gear from 4900RPM in the previous gear.
Gear
Top Speed
RPM at start of gear
R7
-81
3600
R6
-52
4200
R5
-39
3700
R4
-22
4300
R3
-13
4800
R2
-10
4700
R1
-4
N
0
1
4
2
10
4600
3
13
4800
4
22
4300
5
39
3700
6
52
4200
7
81
3600
From my testing, i think one of the reason why it is feels so sluggish, is because the when changing gear from 6th to 7th, it looses so much RPM, that it needs to regain. At the same time, any minor adjustment you do when you are driving, you loose a lot of speed, therefore also a lot of RPM. These minor adjustments are multiplied with the current oversensitive steering, so it is necessary to make constant minor adjustments.
Those first three gears go by very quickly when you drive one irl, you can easily get into 4th in 3-4 seconds. There’s also a significant lurching movement which the vehicle does on the 3rd to 4th or particularly 4th to 3rd gear change, and mitigation of that is the sign of a good driver because it can send the turret crew flying.
Scimitar vs Striker I see the engine is different but what about the gearbox, breaks and suspension?
Currently they handle very differently. I did a rough test of the neutral steering and the results were very different. Stock vs spaded the Scimitar got 38s/16s and the Striker got 28s/10s for a full rotation on the same flat area of tarmac.
I’ve been going on the assumption that the Scimitar should have mobility similar to the Striker. If not better due to the higher power to weight ratio and lower center of gravity.
That’s strange, because so I understand they should have the same engine, but the Scimitar is lighter actually, so probably should be a bit faster, but maybe more liable to a higher centre of gravity?
All vehicles in the CVR(T) series have the same powertrain, the only one that might have suspension upgrades is the Samson, because it’s the recovery variant.
I’ve really had enough with copy and paste nonsense, if you want to play the swingfire get it in the uk tree. France has a bunch of atgm vehicles yet to be added
I think the Striker is modelled as it having the Cummings diesel engine instead of the Jaguar petrol engine, that is why its mobility might be different.