The Ajax Programme has turned a corner and is progressing towards the delivery of a new generation of armoured fighting vehicles that meets the British Army’s needs, against a revised delivery schedule that sets realistic and achievable milestones. The Ministry of Defence continues to work closely with General Dynamics to deliver the 589 vehicles, of which there are six variants, all based upon a common base platform. Reliability and Growth Trials (RGT) are well underway. AJAX, APOLLO, ATLAS and ARES variants have now driven more than 20,000 kilometres through different terrains, completing a variety of representative battlefield missions. RGT allows significantly more activity to be completed compared to regular unit training.
Senior Responsible Owner for the Armoured Cavalry Programme, Chris Bowbrick said:”I’m thrilled with the progress made across the programme over the last six months. We must maintain momentum to deliver this new generation of armoured fighting vehicles for the British Army. The New Year starts with Ajax Live Crew Clearance Cold Climate Trials taking place in Sweden. This is the first time Ajax will be firing with Field Army Crews outside of the UK, a significant milestone for the programme.”
Since June, units of the Field Army have been training on the current Ajax variant (Capability Drop 1), focusing on individual and crew training. This training is enabling troops to learn how to operate the armoured vehicles and use the systems integrated into them. The training will also enable the crew to develop skills, experience and competence ahead of the delivery of the Capability Drop 3 vehicles, the upgraded fully deployable variant. Capability Drop 3 vehicle production continues at Merthyr Tydfil with all production lines operating and all six variants in progress, with delivery to the Field army starting in 2024.
The Ajax, formerly known as the Scout SV (Specialist Vehicle), is a group of armoured fighting vehicles being developed by General Dynamics UK for the British Army. The Ajax is a development of the ASCOD armoured fighting vehicles used by the Spanish Armed Forces and Austrian Armed Forces. The vehicles were originally developed by Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug and Santa Bárbara Sistemas in the early 1990s. Both companies were purchased by General Dynamics in the early 2000s. In 2010, General Dynamics UK was selected as the winner of the Future Rapid Effect System contract with the ASCOD Common Base Platform, beating BAE Systems’ CV90 proposal. The Ajax vehicles were to be procured in a number of variants, initially planned to be in blocks.
