personnel (7+3 crew), and replacing the Jaguar petrol engine with a Perkins diesel offering greater range. CVR(T) prototype number 11 (a Scorpion) was cut and extended to demonstrate the basic hull could be used as a ten-man Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), and a diesel engine fitted. After tests confirmed the stretched version retained the mobility of the basic CVR(T), MVEE built another prototype from scratch with a wider hull called the FV4333. Alvis later purchased the design rights, renamed the vehicle the Alvis Stormer, and developed it further. In 2006 it was reported to the House of Commons that 478 FV103 vehicles were in service with the armed forces of the United Kingdom in April of that year, 452 of them in a deployable state. By 2007, 495 FV103 Spartans were in the service of the United Kingdom. These were being replaced by mid-2009 with Panther Command and Liaison Vehicles. Belgium began using Spartans, along with other CVR(T) vehicles, in their cavalry units from 1975. Ukraine On April 11, 2022, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United Kingdom approved the delivery of 120 armored vehicles, including FV103 Spartan combat vehicles, to Ukraine following a meeting between UK prime minister Boris Johnson and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in an unannounced visit to Kyiv. Johnson pledged 120 armored vehicles and new anti-ship missile systems for Ukraine as part of another £100 million (€120 million, $130 million) commitment to delivering high-grade military equipment. 35 Spartans had been donated by the UK government, and had proved very successful. A crowdfunding appeal by the Prytula Foundation launched on 2 November 2022 raised US$5.5m to buy 50 ex-British Army FV103 Spartans, to be delivered to Ukraine that year. Operators Current operators – 6 – 100 vehicles in service – unknown number of vehicles in service - during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine the British government announced that 120 armoured vehicles, including some Spartans, would be transferred to Ukraine. Local reports show use of the vehicles at the front line in July 2022. A crowd-sourcing appeal in November 2022 set out to fund the acquisition of 50 Spartans for the Ukrainian army however, after the appeal concluded they had raised enough to fund as many as 60 such vehicles. – in service with the British Army and the RAF Regiment (1980–1995) See also FV101 Scorpion References Further reading Howard, Les. Winter Warriors – Across