The Scorpion Tank - once the mainstay of the Indonesian Army Cavalry Corps

The Scorpion Tank is a light tank manufactured by the British company Alvis Vehicles, purchased by Indonesia in the 1990s. Indonesia has approximately 100 Scorpion tanks (specifically the Scorpion-90 variant) operated by the Indonesian Army Cavalry Corps.

Main Specifications (Scorpion-90)

Armament: Uses a 90mm Cockerill Mk III M-A1 cannon, unlike the standard British version, which only uses a 76mm cannon.

Weight & Dimensions: Very light for an armored vehicle, weighing only around 8.07 tons, with a length of 4.9 meters and a width of 2.2 meters.

Speed: Capable of maneuvering at speeds of up to 76–80 km/h.

Crew: Operated by a crew of three (Commander, Gunner, and Driver).

Material: The tank's hull is made of a special aluminum alloy, making it rust-resistant and extremely lightweight.

Advantages & Mobility

Its compact design makes this tank perfectly suited to Indonesia's geography. The Scorpion tank can cross small bridges, maneuver through narrow roads, and is air-transportable for rapid inter-island mobilization.

The Indonesian Army (TNI AD) procured the Scorpion tank during the New Order era in the mid-1990s as part of the Army Cavalry Corps' primary weapons system (alutsista) rejuvenation and modernization plan.

President Soeharto officially approved this purchase project on September 20, 1994. The purchase of this light tank, manufactured by Alvis Vehicles (UK), was carried out in two main phases.

Phase I (1995 Contract): The first contract was signed on January 13, 1995, between the Indonesian Army (on behalf of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense) and Alvis Vehicles Limited, UK, with a contract value of £78.93 million. The first batch of tanks arrived in waves from July 1995 to September 1996.

Phase II (1996 Contract): Indonesia continued the second phase of procurement for the 1996–1997 fiscal year using an Export Credit (EC) facility worth USD 125 million. The tanks in this second phase were delivered between January 1998 and February 1999.

International Controversy and Domestic Scandal

Embargo: The British government sold these tanks with a written condition that Scorpion tanks could not be used for internal security operations or to suppress domestic separatist movements. When the Indonesian Army deployed Scorpion tanks to Aceh during the 2003 Military Operation against the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), the UK lodged a strong protest, which disrupted diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Markup Issue: After the fall of the New Order regime, this procurement was highlighted by international media (such as The Guardian) and investigated in Indonesia. Allegations of bribery and price inflation for defense equipment amounting to millions of pounds sterling have surfaced, implicating the Cendana family, the purchasing agent at the time.

Despite political and diplomatic controversy, the Scorpion-90 tank has remained a reliable mainstay of the Indonesian Army's cavalry since the late 1990s, before the arrival of more modern tanks.