Alvis Vehicles Limited, as part of its private venture Low Profile Experimental Vehicle (LPXV) programme, covered in the Armoured Fighting Vehicle Families section, has proposed a light tank armed with a 90 mm gun.

In 1991, against the United States Army requirement for an Armored Gun System (subsequently won by FMC with the Close Combat Vehicle - Light), Alvis proposed a vehicle with a combat weight of 14968 kg armed with a 105 mm EX-35 rifled tank gun and air-droppable from a Lockheed Hercules C-130 transport aircraft.

The Storm 90 draws on experience gained with the Scorpion 90 and the Stormer range of light armoured vehicles, including the Stormer flatbed which was designed and built in 14 weeks for Operation Desert Storm.

The automotive components incorporated in Storm 90 are similar to those in the Alvis Stormer (qv Armoured Personnel Carriers section) which is already in production for the British Army as the platform for the Shorts Starstreak High-Velocity Missile System.

Combat weight of the Storm 90 is 12.9 tonnes which means that the vehicle in battle-ready condition is transportable, enabling rapid deployment to remote areas of operation.

The hull of Storm 90 is of all-welded aluminium construction with the driver front left, power pack to his right and the two-man turret mounted towards the rear.

Protection is provided against penetration from 14.5 mm armour-piercing rounds and 155 mm artillery splinters. Over the frontal arc, the hull will provide protection against attack from 30 mm rounds.

The turbocharged and charged cooled diesel engine is coupled to a fully automatic microprocessorcontrolled transmission with full override capability.

Suspension of Storm 90 is of the hybrid type with hydropneumatic suspension units on the first, second and sixth road wheel stations and torsion bar suspension on the third, fourth and fifth wheel stations. The drive sprocket is located at the front with a rear idler and two return rollers.

The turret is the French Giat Industries TS-90 two-man turret with a 90 mm gun and a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun. A total of 55 rounds of 90 mm and 2200 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition is carried.

According to Alvis Vehicles, the vehicle's low silhouette and compact configuration minimise target area and allow a high degree of protection to be achieved within the vehicle's weight limit. Signatures are reduced to a minimum and every possible means has been used to enhance protection.

In addition, the latest UK advances in stealth technology have been incorporated into the vehicle.