MPs have raised serious questions over whether the Army’s £6.3 billion Ajax armoured vehicle will ever be deemed fit for combat.
The project has been consistently hampered by concerns regarding the impact of noise and vibration on its crew.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) warned of “unrealistic expectations” about how soldiers could safely operate the armoured vehicle in a war zone. The Commons spending watchdog also criticised delays in Sir Keir Starmer’s government publishing its defence investment plan (DIP), which was originally due last year but may now not appear until July.
The Ajax system was initially expected to enter service in 2017 but has been repeatedly hit by setbacks over crew safety concerns. Although the vehicle was finally cleared for operations last November, an exercise had to be halted within weeks because soldiers experienced symptoms linked to noise and vibration.
In its report, the PAC noted that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) asserted there were “no safety concerns about Ajax provided it was operated and maintained correctly within its design parameters”.
It said soldiers had been instructed to carry out maintenance checks every time they stop the vehicle but the MoD “did not explain the practicality of this for soldiers operating Ajax for long periods in combat”.
Public Accounts Committee chairman Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said: “Our thoughts are with all those soldiers who reported symptoms from noise and vibration after operating these vehicles, and we were frankly astounded to hear officials explain that proper use of Ajax requires maintenance checks every time it is stopped.
“This is frankly an insult to intelligence, and much good may this advice do our fighting men and women if called upon to operate Ajax in combat. The MoD must now explain how it will make Ajax fit for purpose, and how much this will cost.”
The committee said: “It remains a matter of concern whether the Ajax armoured vehicle is fit for purpose.
“Armoured vehicles which injure soldiers when they are operated outside rigid parameters will be of little use on the modern battlefield.
“The department discussed a potential package of ‘Ajax 2’ improvements, but there is a risk that it ends up having to spend even more than it planned in the hope of salvaging something from the Ajax programme.”
The vehicle is manufactured by General Dynamics in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, and the MPs demanded to know how much the firm is willing to pay for “delays in delivering a vehicle that is fit for purpose”.
The MPs were also scathing about the impact of delays in the publication of the defence investment plan.
Sir Geoffrey said: “Those responsible may argue there are good reasons for the Dip’s continuing absence, but our report makes clear that excuses to the effect of ‘taking the time to get the details right’ simply do not cut it.
“Whatever the content of the Dip when it eventually does appear, the damage from its absence has been done – to the nation’s credibility, to its safety, to its armed forces, and to certainty within its entire defence industrial base.
“Any government minister attempting to explain away this delay to the Dip should instead ask themselves what message the bureaucratic drift of the past months has given to the public, as well as the UK’s allies and its adversaries, and simply apologise.”
The MoD “has not yet decided which capabilities, infrastructure and people it requires to transform the armed forces to be warfighting-ready within the budget available” and “nor has it secured the cross-government agreement that the plan needs”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir has insisted the plan, originally promised in autumn 2025, will be published before the Nato summit in Turkey, beginning on 7 July.
A MoD spokesman said the Government is providing a “generational increase” in defence spending, with an extra £270 billion across this Parliament.
The spokesman said: “The defence investment plan will fix the outdated, overcommitted and underfunded programme we inherited.
“We are working hard to finalise it. As the Defence Secretary told Parliament this week, the Prime Minister is determined to publish it before the Nato Summit.”
