HMForces.co.uk

Education >> Browse Articles >> British Army Regiment & Corps

Royal Armoured Corps (RAC)

Royal Armoured Corps

The RAC was created on 4 April 1939 just before the Second World War by combining the British Cavalry Wing with the Royal Tank Corps. During the progression of World War II many other units were mechanised and joined the Corps. The RAC as we see it nowadays consists of ten Regular Regiments and four Yeomanry Regiments, which form the basis of the Territorial Army (TA).

The RAC is responsible for providing the heavy armour and formation reconnaissance capability to the Army in the field and as such is equipped with the following primary armoured vehicles:

Royal Armoured Corps of the British Army

Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (CR2 MBT)

Challenger 2 is the main battle tank (MBT) currently in service with the United Kingdom Armed Forces. It is operated by both Regular and Territorial Regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC). Challenger’s primary armament system is the L30 120mm tank gun with an L94A1 7.62mm chain gun and L37A2 machine gun, fitted mainly for air defence, as it’s secondary armament. Challenger has a crew of four, Commander, Gunner, Loader/Operator and driver. The role of Regiments equipped with the Challenger 2 MBT is to engage and destroy enemy tanks and provide support to the infantry in close combat.

Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) (CVR (T)

The CVR (T) is a series of light armoured vehicles in service in the United Kingdom Armed Forces. It is used mainly in the light reconnaissance role and as such all variants have a speed of approximately 50 mph. The following is a list of CVR (T) variants and their roles:

FV107 Scimitar Scimitar is the ‘fighting’ variant of the CVR (T) series of tracked vehicles. Scimitars will normally be found well in advance of the Forward Edge of the Battle Area (FEBA) where either a troop of 3 Scimitars, or, on occasion, an individual vehicle, can be found obtaining valuable intelligence for battlefield commanders. Because the CVR (T) series of armoured fighting vehicle is lightly armoured it relies on its speed to move out of danger quickly. It is equipped with the high velocity RARDEN cannon capable of defeating most enemy reconnaissance vehicles and armoured personnel carriers (APC). It also mounts a 7.62 coaxial machine gun. Scimitar has a crew of three, Commander, Gunner and Driver.

FV103 Spartan Spartan is the Armoured Personnel Carrier variant based on the CVR (T) series of tracked vehicles. In the main it is used to carry specialist teams, such as technicians and anti-aircraft missile teams, around the battlefield at high speed. It has a crew of two, Commander and Driver and can carry 5 passengers. Spartan’s primary armament is a 7.62 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG). It can also be fitted with a missile launcher if required.

FV104 Samaritan Samaritan is the armoured ambulance variant based on the CVR (T) series of tracked vehicles. It has a crew of two, Commander and Driver and capacity for six casualties. It is crewed mainly by members of the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) whose members can be found attached to most Regiments and Corps. As an ambulance, with large red crosses painted on it, it has no main armament and relies solely on the support of other armed vehicles on the battlefield for protection.

FV105 Sultan Sultan is the Command and Control variant based on the CVR (T) series of tracked vehicles. The vehicle provides ‘office’ space for 3 members of the Command and Control team(s) at unit level and above. A series of Sultan’s placed back to back with specially designed extending tents can be used to control events on the battlefield. There is a vehicle operating crew of three, Commander, Radio Operator and Driver. The vehicle is fitted with a primary armament of a 7.62mm Pintal Mounted GPMG, mainly for air defence.

FV106 Samson Samson is the Armoured Recovery Vehicle (ARV) variant based on the CVR (T) series of tracked vehicles. It is mainly crewed by members of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) whose members can be found attached to most Regiments and Corps of the British Army. Samson is used to recover other CVR (T) series vehicles that have broken down or been damaged on the battlefield, but can also be used to recover wheeled vehicles. Samson has a permanent crew of two, Commander and Driver as well as mechanics and technicians sufficient for the task(s) in hand. The vehicle has a primary armament of a 7.62mm GPMG with a slightly lower top speed of other CVR (T) variants of 72kmph.

Return to: Regiments and Corps of the British Army
Previous section: Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment
Next Section: Regular Regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps