Britain delivers upgraded Scimitar armored vehicles to Latvia

RIGA, Latvia, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- An initial batch of overhauled and upgraded Scimitar armored vehicles has been delivered to Latvia by Britain for training and familiarization.

The Scimitar Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance Tracked, or CVRT, delivered late last week are the first of 123 vehicles purchased from Britain last year in a deal worth more than $53.6 million.

"This is an important step towards strengthening Latvia's self-defense capacity because the upgraded vehicles that will be equipped with the best anti-tank weapons will significantly improve the combat capacity and mobility of the Infantry Brigade," Latvian Public Broadcasting quoted Defense Minister Raimonds.

The remaining Scimitars are to be delivered between next year and 2020.

Scimitars were originally manufactured by Alvis, now BAE Systems. It first came into production in 1970.

The Latvian Ministry of Defense is purchasing Spike anti-tank and anti-personnel missiles for use by the Scimitars, the report said.