Many years ago I did a range cover for an Armoured recce unit equipped with scimitar. we had to set up for range incidents one we were advised to do was crew being overcome by fumes in the turret. I know one of rummoured reasons for the withdrawal of scorpion was problems with fume extraction. How much truth there is to this I don't know and are new generations of AFV better?
Quote from: DarrenP2 on April 30, 2015, 11:50:51 PM
Many years ago I did a range cover for an Armoured recce unit equipped with scimitar. we had to set up for range incidents one we were advised to do was crew being overcome by fumes in the turret. I know one of rummoured reasons for the withdrawal of scorpion was problems with fume extraction. How much truth there is to this I don't know and are new generations of AFV better?
Fume extraction was one of the public reasons given for the withdrawal of the Scorpion from British/Belgian Army service. I suspect the signing of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe in 1990 which counted any vehicle with a main gun bigger than 75mm as an "MBT" had more to do with it.
I think the reason (or one of them at least) we went over to the Chain Gun as a co-ax rather than the Gimpy was due to the fumes too.
i was serving at the time in the REME
after firing if the breach was opened too quickly in sandy conditions the short barrel meant that sand was sucked in and it fouled the breach closure
the problem only came in the first gulf war when in real combat conditions the guys were hasty to reload for obvious reasons
CBE