The UK should scrap its continued plans to procure and use the Ajax tank platform, according to a think tank report.
The study, The British Army’s Ajax: Fit for purpose, recommends the army replace the Ajax with one of the CV90, upgraded Warrior, or Boxer CRV. The paper carries a foreword by Tobias Ellwood, the Chairman of the Defence Select Committee, who warns that if noise, size, and weight complications cannot be resolved, the programme will “have to be pulled”.
The report outlines the troubled history of the project, from its inception more than a decade ago. Reported problems have included noise and vibration such that crews have been limited to just 90 minutes operation.
The paper closes by recommending that the Ministry of Defence switch its plans by opting for the CV90, upgraded Warrior, or specialised Boxer platforms instead. Government Ministers have recently said such a switch is under consideration.
READ THE REPORT HERE
In the Words of the Author
“The latest suspension in Ajax trials now affords the MoD a moment of clarity: the programme is unfit for purpose. Four years delayed and counting; running out of money; mounting injuries to personnel. The government must now studiously reconsider the viable alternatives put forth in this paper, or seriously risk jeapodising defence’s contribution to fulfilling the recent Integrated Review”.
Robert Clark, Defence Policy Associate