Safety Crisis Re-emerges for Troubled Ajax Programme
The British Army's flagship Ajax fighting vehicle programme is facing a fresh crisis after 31 troops suffered sickness and hearing issues during war games on Salisbury Plain, despite recent ministerial assurances that the vehicle was safe for use.
The incident occurred barely a fortnight after Luke Pollard, the minister responsible for defence procurement, publicly declared the vehicle operational on 6 November 2025. Mr Pollard had requested and received written "senior assurances" that previous problems with noise and vibration had been resolved before making his announcement at the General Dynamics factory in Merthyr Tydfil.
A History of Problems Persists
This is not the first time the £5.5bn Ajax programme has been mired in controversy. Initial trials were halted in 2020 after soldiers were harmed by excessive noise and vibration. A subsequent investigation found that senior officers had failed to act despite knowing for up to two years that the vehicle put troops at risk.
The report described the failure as "complex and systemic," noting a culture where safety was not treated as equally important as cost and time. Although efforts were made to address the issues with better ear protection and additional seat cushions, the latest injuries suggest the underlying problems remain unresolved.
Alarmingly, even in the weeks leading up to Mr Pollard's November announcement, more soldiers had become unwell after time inside the vehicles, with some requiring hospital treatment.
Minister Takes Action Amid Growing Concerns
Following the latest incident, Mr Pollard has moved quickly to order a two-week pause on all use of the Ajax vehicles. A safety investigation is now underway to determine the cause of the continuing problems.
The Ministry of Defence released a statement saying: "This pause underlines our absolute commitment to the safety of our personnel. As with any major equipment programme, we continue to test and refine the vehicle to ensure safety and performance."
Defence Secretary John Healey and Mr Pollard are expected to demand answers from General Sir Roly Walker, the head of the army, as well as from civil servants at Defence Equipment and Support and from General Dynamics, the American defence company manufacturing the vehicles.
The Ajax programme, billed as delivering "the world's most advanced medium-weight armoured fighting vehicle," is running years behind schedule and has cost the UK billions of pounds. For soldiers left with permanent hearing damage, the consequences have been particularly severe, turning the procurement debacle into a personal tragedy.
With the army in desperate need of new fighting vehicles and growing threats worldwide, the repeated failures of the Ajax programme raise serious questions about accountability and the Ministry of Defence's ability to deliver essential equipment safely and effectively.
