The Government has confirmed that the British Army’s Ajax armoured vehicle programme is still expected to achieve Full Operating Capability by the end of 2029, provided the project survives an ongoing ministerial review.
In a written answer to Conservative MP Mark Francois on 19 February, Defence Minister Luke Pollard said that “Safety investigations and a Ministerial Review into the Armoured Cavalry Programme (commonly known as Ajax) remain ongoing.”
He added: “However, on current plans, Full Operating Capability for the Armoured Cavalry Programme is still expected to be achieved by the end of 2029.”
Ajax forms the centrepiece of the Army’s future armoured cavalry capability and is intended to replace ageing reconnaissance platforms. The programme comprises a family of six tracked vehicle variants, with a total of 589 vehicles on order.
Full Operating Capability would indicate that the Army has received, fielded and trained on the complete fleet required for operational deployment. The 2029 target has been referenced in previous parliamentary material and remains the planning assumption, subject to the outcome of current investigations.
The programme has been beset by delays and technical challenges, most notably persistent concerns over noise and vibration affecting crews during trials. Initial Operating Capability was declared in late 2025 but later withdrawn.
Ministers have made clear that a wider decision on the future of Ajax remains outstanding. Defence Secretary John Healey has framed the choice in stark terms as whether to “back it or scrap it”, pending the findings of the ministerial review and associated safety work.
For the moment, the Ministry of Defence maintains that, if the programme proceeds, Full Operating Capability by the end of 2029 remains achievable. The review’s conclusions will determine whether that timetable stands or the Army’s armoured cavalry plans are reshaped once again.
Turn It into an Unmanned Asset.
Well this is definitely a milestone that WILL NOT be met.
Pretty definite comment there,do you have any insider info or like the rest of us just a tad sceptical?
Having spent 23 yrs in the Army, then a further 23 working in the Defence Industry, some 5 years as a contractor embedded within DE&S, I can smell BS from miles away.
No insider info, and anyone who is only “a tad” sceptical, obviously is either delusional or doesn’t understand what a cluster MOD procurement has become since it all collocated in Abbeywood. It has inherited the worst of all 3 services errors and faults, and little to No best practices.
Perhaps the biggest failure is the constant moving of staff from not only 1 team to another, but from one domain to another.
Calm your skin mate!it was a tongue in cheek remark,obviously unlike the most of us you have some experience of DE&S and your observations carry some weight,of course we will believe the FOC when we see it!
Jacko, no offence taken.
I would not be so certain that MoD can’t officially meet FOC in 2029 (& then fail spectacularly). Too many people have turned a blind eye for so long on Ajax, it seems to have a life of its own. Everyone involved is no doubt hoping it survives long enough for them to collect & move on. But I agree, it has gone past the point of no return some time ago. This may be unpopular, but I think the Minister should look outside UK for advice (Turkey, Poland, Korea, Japan, etc – or multiples thereof). ie knowledgeable people that have no skin in the game (either politically or industrially) but actual Defence force people (or retired), not defence industry.
Why do they persist with this money pit! Just buy something tgat works CV90….
The capacity of the Authority to cover-up cock-ups never ceases to amaze me. They have poured £billions of taxpayers money into Ajax over the duration of this project and many people accept that we should cut our losses and scrap it. Except Healey, who has organised yet another review
Wallace had the chance to do so in 2023. He could have saved a couple of £bn, recovered more by suing GD and ordered CV90 from BAEs. The hulls could have been sold to the Brazilians or donated to Ukraine
The MoD continues to pretend that the Ajax project is recoverable, when clearly it is not. They are all running around trying to cover up their part in it, hoping that their careers will not be affected.
If they were working in the private sector they would be negotiating with their benefits work coach, trying to avoid being sanctioned while they are actively seeking work
In the end almost all the money has been paid.. 5 billion pounds and the company is a loss making LTD company with only debt.. there is nothing to Sue.. it’s why they have not just binned it they are trying to see if there is anything they can salvage from this utter cockup… GD Corporation are not idiots they are completely isolated from risk by using a shell limited company… even general dynamics Europe land systems are isolated from risk.. Because although is was GDLSE who build the shite hulls that are causing most of the issues.. their contract was with GDLS UK not HMG, so only GDLS UK could take legal action on breach of contract on the hulls being shite and one GD subsidiary is not going to take another one to court.. and HMG can only take the entity to court it has the contract with and that is GDLS UK.. which is a limited company and has no capital value… basically HMG is screwed whenever it does, it’s just trying to figure the least worse.
Cannot blame the present administration for this one in any shape or form or whatever bad deal they get out of it.. because essentially that 5 billion is gone and all they can do if figure out what to do with the broken vehicles it purchased.
No, but it was the last Labour government that picked GD Ascod & the Welsh factory, & the Tories that let the Army do a major change to spec in 2016.
Picking the thing was not the issue.. in theory it was a mature platform.. the issue was programme oversight and a shite contract.. and that was all done from 2010 onwards.. the initial selection was made in March 2010 the contract was signed in 2014.
Silly question,, but can the UK government further intervene and buy out or nationalise GDLS UK? If contract has not beem fulfilled satisfactorilly and they’re in debt?
But there are essentially no real assets.. they could probably take them for everything but it’s net worth is only 300million, with 1 billion in assets and 700million in liabilities.. and you can bet those assets would not actually realise 1 billion as they are accounting assets not what someone would actually pay.. and those 700million in liabilities are real hard debts..
Too much time and money spent on it, buying some thing else will badly effect other projects, ideal thing would be fix it get it in to service still not sure why we need a 40 ton recce vehicle? we have enough wheel light vehicles for that,
If fixed we would need to add the types/variants of Ajax, IFV/Over watch, etc, but knowing the UK that will mess that up and drag that out at great cost. Hope not but MOD buying history repeats its self over and over again.
Shows what a farce the concepts of IOC and FOC are. This is the same MoD demanding £14 billion a year more in tax payer funds to fight a war that’s they now say is coming next Tuesday while they still fanny around with their never ending “programs”. The SDR was all about adding even more new programs and future capabilities because drones, drones, drones, hypersonics and AI and let’s be agile blah blah blah.
News flash for the service chiefs, if things are as bad as you say then why are you not ordering more planes, more men, more frigates and missile defences for the UK.
None of these things are even in your unfunded plans much less the plans you want £14 billion a year more for. Instead your pumping yet more money into special forces and power projection capabilities all designed to fit inside a US led coalition that no longer exists because the typical UK service chief doesn’t like thinking for themselves and likes the nice comfortable blanket and associated future consultancy gigs in the US MIC.
These same as*holes that gutted the MoD since 2010 (Defence Ministers as well) then have the brass neck to write a letter to the press calling for desperately needed funding for the armed forces while all shovelling even more tax payer cash into their mouths in “retirement” telling us it’s 1936. As if this statement washes them for any blame for all the damage they caused over 15 years.
I agree with you Jim, but why are you putting a line in the sand at 2010?
Governance of both colours have caused huge damage to the armed forces since 1991.
The Options for change review set the theme in 1990, instead of re-imagining the armed forces for the post Cold War period and the 21st Century, they simply started salami slicing capability, they have all simply carried on, diverting defence money and generally pissing what’s left against the wall on stupid ( tail wags the dog) programmes like Ajax until we get where we are today.
We have virtually disarmed…
This is just a case of when ‘Too big to fail’ fails.
Yep, again, another great jobs for the boys programme heads for the ‘tits up’ list.
Another 4 years 🤣🤣🤣🤣
2029?! Why not asap in 2026!? Give them more time and they’ll take even more time. Someone’s going to need some balls to fix this.
I don’t think it’s actually fixable. It’s said that plaster & paint can hide many a fault, but at some point, later down the track, someone is going to be caught out. It’s a case of when, not if.
It’s obsolete and would not survive, Ukraine has proven that. I’m afraid army thinking is very much wedded to the past.
For some reason, I can see it lasting another 3 years!
But then again, they are so deeply infatuated with sorting it out that they will continue to throw money at it within the remaining time
Thinking that it will be some miracle on the battlefield
See my comment above. The Minister needs to go ask someone else for advice. It is pointless asking the army or industry. They are incapable of independent advice on this issue. So are many of the normal go to alllies. GD is a US company. BAE is the obvious opponent (via a Swedish subsidiary). Germany does Boxer, France involved in the cannon, Spain built the dodgy hulls. Go talk to someone who doesn’t really care what any of these think, but are professional enough to tell you what you want to know & the experience to back it up.
So the nightmare goes on surely the Army can’t wait till 2029 .Who ever made this decision needs help Don’t wast more money on this Ajax go for CV90 and be done with it for for heavens sake . 🙄
Is this the bit where we wait until 2029 and then announce that the Ajax project needs to be cancelled and that an alternative must be sourced?
2029 you say, general election year, quite the coincidence that…
Shove it into the hands of the next administration to sort out.
To be honest this is one shiteshow they can if they wanted to wheel out and say look what the conservatives did for 10 years.. just spent 5 billion on a load of broken vehicles that cannot be used.. politically this is a no skin off labour political hatchet job if they wanted..
Morning Jonathan, they could, but then they would be forced to launch a replacement programme.
We are all well aware this government has zero interest in defence, lots of hot air and bullshit, but very little of any substance.
They will likely just let this shit show rumble on until its not their problem anymore.
Then the 50 odd remaining Labour MP’s on the opposition benches can ‘howl’ about the ‘cuts’…
I believe thats how it works mate, its just another political football to them, they couldn’t give a toss regathe state of the armed forces.
Exactly.
For me, the MoD and the Army can take more of the blame than all the governments in power during this shambles. We all know the Treasury would have willingly cancelled this at the first sign of trouble. The MoD and Army would have been telling MPs that these were just teething problems and that everything would be fine, and MPs took that advice. Things obviously changed when the injuries happened just after declaring IOC (again, on advice from the Army).
Artillery, on the other hand, was a political decision to buy the RCH 155 and give away the AS90.
Just had a Quick Look and the people asking for CV90 may have a point!
600 Mk4 would cost approximately $5.5b
However we don’t want IFVs,some would need to be configured as Recce vehicles(Ajax) which would be the more expensive option of any order but looking at the variants on offer it seems most of our requirements could be met with the cost of those cheaper than a recce version!
The problem remains though WHEN would we be able to get them because as usual we go to the back of any queue!
Just a ramble I know but it would seem the option could be there.😀
Reconfigured as a recce vehicle you say. Hmmm
Pick up the ‘jobs for the boys ‘ secure phone line and get to work…
Righto, let’s make it 3 foot longer and 2 foot wider, better change the engine too. Chuck away Ajax electronics and magic source, then start again, bound to be getting obsolete by now anyway.
What do you mean its rattling itself to bits, best cancel it and start again.
There you go Jacko, that takes you to 2040🤣🤣🤣
😂recce version already exists but I get your point we would gold plate it👍
Sweden ,Norway and the Netherlands use them already
Could the Scimitar/Scorpion chassis be upgraded to fit the CTA 40mm turret?
Blimey people are getting in a tizzy about CR2 hulls and you suggest CVRT ones,they came into service in the 70,s😀
Why? Ajax (as a recce vehicle), did not need a CTA turret to begin with. Why do you want a new, heavy, expensive turret on a 50 year old vehicle armed with a cannon you can’t afford to fire?
I think there is still a running WW1 Vickers tank at Bovington, could we not pop a periscope on it and baskets of carrier pigeons for ‘electronically secure’ communications.
I can get a working prototype going for a trifling one £billion, guaranteed to be quieter and less vibration than Ajax too….
Well the 6 pounder gun has a greater effective range. Perhaps your onto something.
That’s a non starter, among many other reasons, we wouldn’t want a fast nimble and easily air transportable recce asset Quentin,
The MoD prefer a tracked steam roller for the job, have another think….
‘On current plans’ ie the plans have not, and will not, be updated until the safety investigations and the Ministerial Review are complete. So there’s nothing to see here. We won’t know what is actually happening until these endless reviews and investigations report back.
In other words, find a patch of very long grass and kick the ball as ‘far’ into it as you possibly can….
I’m sure they want this problem to go away ASAP. It’s costing more and more and generating extremely bad PR. I haven’t mentioned ‘giving the Army the capabilities,’ as I’m sure that is much further down their priority list.