Use of Ajax in British Army Suspended, Defense Minister Misled About the Vehicle’s Safety

The British Army’s Ajax armored vehicle program has again come under scrutiny after the service suspended its use following new complaints from troops about excessive noise and harmful vibrations.

The Guardian reported the development.

At the end of November, about 30 soldiers who participated in exercises on Salisbury Plain reported nausea, headaches, loss of balance, and tremors after working on the Ajax.

Several soldiers were sent to medical facilities, and the Army Command announced another “safety pause” in the vehicle’s use.

The decision was unexpected, as only recently Luke Pollard, the Minister for Defence Procurement, had formally declared that Ajax had reached initial operational capability (IOC) and was safe based on new tests.

He said “there are no longer any health risks to the crews,” and that noise and vibration levels “have been reduced to acceptable standards.” His assurances are now in question.

According to British media, the minister may have been deliberately kept in the dark. Ahead of his statement, officials responsible for the program allegedly failed to inform him of new troop complaints and documented injuries from recent tests.

As a result, Pollard publicly declared the Ajax safe at a time when at least several dozen soldiers had already reported health issues.

The problems with Ajax are not new. In 2020-2021, dozens of service members suffered acoustic injuries, and an independent review by barrister Clive Sheldon in 2023 concluded that the Ajax program was “an example of systemic management failure.” Despite this, the Ministry of Defence continued funding the project.

The financial dimension further complicates matters: the government has spent about £6.5 billion on the Ajax contract for 589 vehicles, but after years of delays, it still has not received a fully combat-ready platform. Initial serial deliveries, initially due in 2017, have now been pushed back to 2028.

Because of the delays, the army has effectively been left without a modern reconnaissance platform. The legacy CVR(T) fleet has been retired, while the Ajax remains unsafe for crews. This has created a capability gap in the British Army amid rising security risks in Europe.

Militarnyi previously reported that in early November 2025, the Ajax combat vehicle formally entered service with the British Army, marking the first significant upgrade in almost 30 years.