Ajax armoured vehicle programme to ‘proceed cautiously’, says minister

Trials of the Army’s troubled Ajax armoured vehicle manufactured in south Wales are set to continue, a defence minister has said.

In a written statement published on Tuesday, Luke Pollard said the programme will be “proceeding cautiously” after use of the vehicle was halted last year.

The decision to stop using the Ajax came after soldiers became unwell from noise and vibration during a training exercise in November.

This came weeks after Mr Pollard said the £6.3 billion programme had “left its troubles behind”, declaring the vehicle manufactured by General Dynamics in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, was ready to be deployed on operations.

On Tuesday, Mr Pollard said an investigation found “a combination of factors” was likely to have caused the symptoms reported by soldiers, including technical issues, variability in training and experience, cold exposure and air quality in the Ajax.

He said all personnel who reported issues in November, during Exercise Titan Storm in Hampshire, have returned to normal duties and the majority suffered from “temporary symptoms”.

He said: “I have now agreed to restart the acceptance of vehicles from (manufacturer) General Dynamics. However, I accept that the experience for our soldiers using Ajax has not been good enough and that is not acceptable.

“I have implemented strict new controls on the reintroduction of the Ajax vehicles that is focused on providing a significantly improved user experience.

“We have been engaging extensively and directly with our soldiers throughout this process – their experiences matter and they are shaping much of what we do next.

“As a result, we are considering a phased approach to restarting the Ajax programme.”

The first phase will include the restarting of trials with a limited number of vehicles and under “very controlled circumstances”, he said.

The Ajax programme, which was originally intended to enter service in 2017, has suffered long delays because noise and vibration injured soldiers who tested the vehicles.

“While we are proceeding cautiously with Ajax, we know we have more to do to rebuild confidence in the vehicle, and we do not underestimate the work still ahead,” Mr Pollard added.

“We aspire to deliver a vehicle into service that is effective on the battlefield and works for our soldiers.

“We will continue to work with General Dynamics to proceed safely, responsibly and transparently to deliver an improved Ajax user experience for our soldiers.

“The above commitments will be met within the existing programme scope and financial envelope.”

A spokesman for General Dynamics said: “GD UK welcomes the conclusions of the Army Safety Investigation Team and the decision by the Ministry of Defence to resume acceptance and operation of Ajax vehicles under a phased and carefully controlled approach, focused on delivering a significantly improved user experience for soldiers.

“The safety of soldiers is, and has always been, our highest priority.

“GD UK has confidence in the performance and protection Ajax is designed to provide. It is the world’s most advanced, fully digitised, armoured fighting vehicle and ensures soldiers see and understand the battlefield faster than any adversary.

“GD UK is proud to be delivering this game-changing capability for British soldiers, with their direct feedback enabling continuous improvements.

“We remain committed to working in partnership with the Army and MoD to restore the UK’s war readiness and help support the United Kingdom’s role in Nato.”