Scorpion and the newer Stormer. The Royal Thai Army was forced to expand its forces after the fall of South Vietnam and the increased tension in the area. As part of this expansion, they obtained 144 Scorpions between 1973 and 1976. The Philippine Army operated up to 40 Scorpions in its Light Armor Division. This formation used a mixture of wheeled and tracked vehicles, but the Scorpion was the only fire support or anti-armour vehicle in their inventory. They also operated 6 Samaritans and 3 Samsons. The New Zealand Army operated a small number of Scorpions, up to squadron strength. These have now been replaced by the LAV III. Middle East In the Middle East, CVR(T) operators included Iran, Jordan, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. The Iranian army deployed its Scorpions with the reconnaissance regiment of the 28th Infantry Division in the 1980–1988 Iran–Iraq War. Little is known of how they performed or what losses they incurred. In December 1997, it was reported that Iran had manufactured a light tank named Tosan. Tosan was equipped with a 90 mm gun and appears to be based on the Scorpion. The Royal Jordanian Land Force has obtained 80 Scorpions and 100 Spartans. Some of the Scorpions are reported to have been captured by Iraq during the Iran–Iraq war and handed on to Jordan. The Spartans were obtained when Belgium disposed of their CVR(T) fleet. The Royal Army of Oman replaced the Saladin armoured car with between 30 and 50 Scorpions. They were delivered between 1982 and 1983, along with three Samson armoured recovery vehicles. In 1985, a second order for up to 30 vehicles was delivered. The second order included Scorpion, Sultan, Spartan and Samson vehicles. Oman operates the newer Stormer. The United Arab Emirates Army has obtained 76 Scorpions for use by its armoured brigades. It is not known if these played any part in the Gulf War. Africa In Africa, CVR(T) operators included Botswana, Nigeria, Tanzania and Togo. The Nigerian Army reorganised from an infantry to an all arms formation after 1979. Part of their AFV inventory includes an unknown number of Scorpions. Scorpion turret The Australian Army did not use CVR(T)s, but did use the Scorpion turret mounted on top of M113 armoured personnel carriers. Known in the Australian Army as the Medium Reconnaissance Vehicle, they were used in a fire support role. They have now been replaced