The Ministry of Defence is planning a “phased approach” to relaunching the beleaguered Ajax armoured vehicle programme after the project was once again halted due to noise and vibration concerns.
In November, the MoD suspended use of the vehicles for training and exercising purposes after 30 service personnel reported noise and vibration symptoms during a training exercise. Then in December, the department halted all trials of the vehicles when a soldier suffered vibration-related injuries in a separate “reliability growth trial”. The much-delayed programme was previously halted in 2020 due to noise and vibration issues.
In an update on the programme published this morning, defence minister Luke Pollard said an Army Safety Investigation Team investigation, one of several reviews he launched following the incidents, has now been completed.
Pollard said its findings “indicate no single causal mechanism of the symptoms reported by our soldiers but rather a combination of multiple factors”.
“Specifically on noise and vibration, levels were found to be below legal exposure limits,” Pollard said. “Instead, these symptoms were likely the result of a combination of factors, including technical issues related to platform conditions at the time of the exercise – such as incorrect track tension and loose or missing engine deck bolts – alongside environmental and human factors, including variability in training and experience, cold exposure, and air quality within the Ajax vehicle itself.”
Pollard said all personnel have now returned to normal duties following November's Exercise Titan Storm incident. He said the majority of soldiers who felt ill during this exercise suffered from temporary symptoms and that he has “now agreed to restart the acceptance of vehicles from 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,” he added.
To ensure the safety of personnel, the 23 vehicles used on the Exercise Titan Storm exercise will be treated separately and will not be used by soldiers until the MoD has confirmed that it is “appropriate” to do so.
Pollard said the department has been “engaging extensively and directly” with soldiers throughout the process following the incident and that “they are shaping much of what we do next”.
“As a result, we are considering a phased approach to restarting the Ajax programme,” Pollard said.
The first phase will include the restarting of trials using the current version of Ajax, with a limited number of vehicles “under very controlled circumstances and maintenance regimes”.
The second phase will see the delivery of improvements relating to the use of air filtration, crew compartment heating and the electrical power generation system – key themes identified and prioritised following Exercise Titan Storm.
Pollard said the MoD will also bolster the safety approach to the Ajax programme. “Taking lessons from the aviation industry, we will instigate an approach which will instill a common thread between design, maintenance and operation,” he said.
As part of that work, there will be named individuals within the army chain of command who will hold the separate responsibilities for operating and maintaining the vehicle, to ensure there cannot be instances where desire to operate a vehicle within the chain of command compromises the necessity for the highest standards of safety.
“That is why any return to training will also be very controlled, with a crawl-walk-run staged progression ensuring safety is paramount throughout,” Pollard said. “Using the information gathered from our soldiers, we will continue to proceed safely, responsibly and transparently to deliver an improved Ajax vehicle for our soldiers.
“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. 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.”
Pollard said these commitments “will be met within the existing programme scope and financial envelope”.
The conclusion of the Army Safety Investigation Team probe follows a safety investigation from the Defence Accident Investigation Branch, which found that issues “were not elevated to an appropriate level” by the programme’s senior responsible officer. The SRO was subsequently removed from the role.
A further Independent Expert Panel Review is ongoing, with a final report due soon. This will focus on wider health and safety issues across defence.
A spokesperson for General Dynamics UK 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."