- Yes
- No
Introduction
The Vickers Valkyr was a private venture by the British Vickers Defence Systems, in association with Belgium’s Beherman-Demoen, drawing from the design of the earlier BDX 4×4 armoured vehicle, itself a license built/lightly modified version of the Irish Timoney. The Valkyr was designed as a flexible, all-purpose platform that could be adapted for a range of battlefield roles, from APC to internal security. It was demonstrated at several British Army Equipment Exhibitions during the 1980s and underwent testing in the UK, Belgium, Brunei, and Oman. Built with an all-welded steel hull with a large crew compartment and sizeable turret ring, it offered a moderate amount of protection and was even fully amphibious, requiring no preparation to enter water.
It was powered by a GM 4-53T diesel engine paired with an Allison automatic gearbox, and featured fully independent suspension, power-assisted steering, and an advanced braking system cooled via a remote oil-circulating setup. It could carry eight troops in its APC configuration, along with the driver and commander, and was designed to accommodate a range of turret-mounted weapons—from twin machine guns to a 90 mm cannon. A wide range of variants were envisioned, including command, ambulance, mortar carrier, and anti-tank roles, and the vehicle was declared ready for production in the early 1980s.
The Cockerill CSE90 is a lightweight, two-person turret developed by the Belgian company CMI Defence (now John Cockerill Defence), designed to mount the proven Mk 3 A1 90 mm low-pressure gun for use on light tracked and wheeled platforms. It is a direct upgrade from the older CM90 turret, which only mounted the Mk 3 cannon, meaning it was unable to fire APFSDS. THE CSE90 turret is intended to equip lighter vehicles with the means to engage armoured targets, fortifications, and infantry. The turret features a modern fire control system, a laser rangefinder, and option thermal sights. Its design allows integration of secondary armaments, such as coaxial machine guns or grenade launchers, and can be adapted to customer requirements, making it a flexible solution for nations seeking cost-effective yet powerful firepower for vehicles in the lighter weight class.
For trials and marketing, during the 1980s the CSE90 turret was fitted to the Vickers Valkyr Prototype. As a private venture by Vickers Defence Systems, the Valkyr was somewhat faltering by this point, with little interest shown domestically or abroad, so in order for to at least try and recoup some of their development costs, they fitted a huge variety of turrets to the chassis in order to prove its versatility and make it as appealing as possible on the export market. These include a twin 20mm anti-air turret, several other 90mm turrets, a 60mm mortar turret, command cupolas, and, as discussed in this suggestion, the CSE90 90mm turret.
In-game, this would be the most lethal Valkyr from an anti-tank perspective, being the only variant able to fire APFSDS.
Specifications
Images
Spoiler
I’m only aware of the single photo showing the Valkyr with this turret, if any more are around I’d love to see them!
The same Valkyr chassis with the 90mm Lynx turret
Sources
Spoiler
Vickers Valkyr Brochure - available here
Additional Vickers Valkyr Brochure - available here
Valkyr marketing video from Vickers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2zxICLSNME
CSE90 Brochure (available here)
Additional CSE90 Brochure (available here)
Jane’s Armour and Artillery 1985-86
Jane’s Armour and Artillery 1987-88
Jane’s AFV Systems 1988-89