The Ministry of Defence has indicated an in the role of the Ares armoured vehicle within the British Army, suggesting that the tracked platform could now be deployed alongside Boxer in future infantry formations.
The update appears in a written answer to a Parliamentary Question from Ben Obese-Jecty MP and may mark a subtle shift, or at least a clarification, in the Army’s force structure.
Responding on Tuesday, Defence Minister Maria Eagle stated that the Army intends to reorganise its four heavy force units within 3rd (UK) Division as “Armoured Infantry Units based on the Ajax and Boxer family of vehicles.”
This development forms part of ongoing efforts to equip NATO’s Strategic Reserve Corps with credible heavy warfighting formations.
The statement contrasts with messaging from late 2024, when Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard said the British Army would establish “four Heavy Mechanised Infantry Battalions across two Armoured Brigades… equipped and structured around the Boxer platform.”
Ares
Ares is a tracked vehicle developed by General Dynamics UK as part of the British Army’s Ajax programme. It is intended to transport dismounted troops while offering protection against small arms fire and explosive threats. Ares is based on a common chassis used across the Ajax family, which was procured to modernise the Army’s reconnaissance and support capabilities. The vehicle’s design reflects an emphasis on protected mobility in line with NATO standards, replacing older platforms such as the FV432.
The vehicle has a crew of two and space for up to seven additional personnel. It is powered by a 600-horsepower diesel engine and can reach speeds of approximately 70 km/h. Ares is armed with a remote-controlled weapon station typically fitted with a 7.62mm machine gun. Internally, it uses the Bowman communications system and a digital electronic architecture designed to integrate with other vehicles and command structures. The vehicle’s suspension and tracked configuration support off-road mobility over a range of terrain types.
Protection features include modular armour, underbody blast protection, and electronic countermeasures. The vehicle is also designed with reduced thermal and acoustic signatures, intended to lower its detectability. While Ares has undergone extensive testing, it forms only one part of the wider Ajax programme, which has faced delays and technical scrutiny. The programme has attracted parliamentary and media attention due to previous issues with crew safety and noise levels during trials.
Ares is one of six variants in the Ajax family, which also includes versions for reconnaissance, command and control, engineering support, and repair and recovery. The British Army has ordered 59 Ares vehicles. The variant is planned to operate within the structure of future Brigade Combat Teams, which form part of the Army’s planned reorganisation of its deployable forces. As of mid-2025, Ares has entered limited service while broader acceptance of the Ajax fleet remains contingent on the resolution of outstanding issues.
will 59 be enough. surly the British army needs, should be in the hundreds
just an opinion.?
Multiple other online sources say there are 93 Ares on order. This is the first time I’ve seen the 59 figure and I hope it’s wrong. Mind you, even if the correct figure is 93, that’s nowhere near enough.
Yes, I’ve read 93. It appears by result of this statement that more vehicles will be required once the current orders are completed. A greater mix of new wheeled and tracked vehicles would make eminent sense, considering around 1,000 Warrior/Bulldogs are due to leave service. Ares looks like a capable machine and should keep pace with Boxer.
As it stands, Ares is a specialist tracked vehicle for moving things like Recce teams, Jav troops etc about, rather than a full on APC. So the need to order hundreds of them is probably not there unless major force structure changes happen.
A machine gun, wow such fire power, is this story a joke?
So they are now going to supplement a very expensive wheeled APC with a very expensive tracked APC… still will not make them armoured infantry.
Less fire power then a warrior…..World beating!
Well, that answers my question regarding any potential for a tracked IFV purchase to replace Warrior.
I have to admit, “ten times more lethal” still feels like a bit of a stretch to me…
59. Wow. That might last the first day if it all kicks off.
Hmm, not even 3 months ago, Ares was still being described as the replacement for the Spartan APC. It has also been described as a compliment to the 40mm armed Ajax in the scout role. Where the vehicle can carry an additional 4 infantry specialists. That can be used for observation roles, deploying sniper teams, Javelin armed anti-tank teams and MANPAD teams. Armed with only a Kongsberg RWS fitted with either a M2 or GPMG it most certainly is not an IFV.
I think the Army are desperately looking at fielding armoured infantry (AI) as part of their NATO commitment. But having to use what’s available in lieu of the soon to be pensioned off Warrior. Additionally the Ares which now has apparently room for 6 in the back, where before it was 4, is technically a “man” short compared to Warrior. The ops will have to be adjusted to suit to compensate for the smaller team size. Which is no great hardship, but it will probably require at least one or two extra vehicles to match the battalion’s operational requirements. It does seem that 6 dismounts is becoming the norm. Unless the vehicle commander double hats as the section commander?
If this is a make do and mend solution, recognizing that Boxer is not suited for the AI role alongside Challenger. Recognizing then limitations of an APC, will we see a future ARES equipped with at least an unmanned turret fitted with the 40mm CTAS autocannon? Which would then turn it into a respectable IFV. Nexter have an unmanned turret that would be suitable.
Hurry up and wait, I guess?
DaveyB,
Willing to wager that you have accurately described the future development path of ARES. Fortuitous decisions, events and programmes happen. 🤔😁
So you need to put a cannon on Ares? Ajax and Ares are networked. Could you redefine a ‘section’ as 1 Ajax + 2 Ares, say?
That’s a really big section and a lot to expect a Section Commander to control. For reference a Platoon is normally about 4-5 vehicles.
I’ve not the experience – just trying to think a bit out of the box; experimenting what other models might work.
The closest to what you are suggesting is in Battlegroups, where a Troop of Tanks or AFV’s get attached to a Company of Infantry, but typically the Challengers/Ajax stay under their own tactical command.
Is this the result of what has been learned by Warrior temporarily replacing late delivery of Ajax. It seems as though the Warrior tracked IFV function is split into 2 vehicles; Ajax and Ares APC?
I thought Ares was the overwatch variant, and has limited seats for dismounts like the Spartan? Has shit been removed from the back or have the seats been reduced to dwarf size? Seriously this is an opportunity to actually get more ordered and get a modern IFV and get at least a 25mm cannon on the top! 40mm better but anything at the moment would be better than nothing!
That’s completely correct.
There are 93 on order. 59 APCS AND 34 “overwatch” variants. Which are the same, so far as I can tell, but will be kitted for carrying atgm teams or similar
Typical British Army / MOD.
We have to have armoured infantry but we can’t afford to replace Warrior so we will order a vehicle for a different role (in this case armoured recce) but make it have several versions which we will be able to co-opt into the IFV role once necessity makes the money available. So we end up with an IFV that is not designed as an IFV, costs more and is unproven all because we couldn’t get the Treasury to properly finance a like for like replacement. Of course we could have just bought a proven IFV, say CV90 but there are others, that was proven, designed as an IFV and would have been overall much cheaper. This is the story of how the MOD manages to get such bad value for money while at the same time buying equipment that is not what was originally wanted.
Not really. The plan was to order a number of variants to replace the CVRT variants in service.
The cheapest of all the options would be to LIFEX the warriors, engine replacement, armour enhancements, new turret with 40mm canon. Job done. Estimate 1-2 million per vehicle and therefore £1 billion for all <500 remaining warriors. That's the cheapest option. Or get hundreds and hundreds of Ares and then retrofit them so they can undertake an IFV role with a turret and armour improvements (seems expensive but at least has the advantage of being a modular approach)
Vehicles can be taken in small batches for upgrade as and when funds are available…eg say 20-30 a year if hundreds of Ares are procured.
I'm thinking the army is thinking longer term, although that won't help the army if it all kicks off in less than 5 years. The army will then be wishing they'd just lifexed warrior.
Probably the cheapest option is to buy ASCOD in IFV format tbh. Warrior LIFEX might have a smaller upfront cost but the operating costs and earlier replacement than buying ASCOD would drive the price up considerably when you look at it as a holistic purchase. Retrofitting Ares back into the IFV role will always be a bit of a bodge because of the massive turret ring (the problem with the modular approach was Ajax had to be designed to fit a turret that can take a 120mm gun, which meant a big turret ring on all variants, which means limits on internal space if a hull penetrating turret is used).
The army always wanted to Lifex warrior of course, but that got pulled out from under them.
A key consideration must be that the Ajax / Ares manufacturing production line is hot and delivering. Does the star ship Enterprise networking of Ajax and Ares ( shared with CR3 and Apache) make it feasible to distribute the Warrior IFV strike/ recon and infantry carrying functions to Ajax and Ares? If so would RS4 on Ares be sufficient?
This is an absolute non-story and I suspect Maria Eagle doesn’t quite grasp what she is on about. Obviously the two brigades where always going to be based on Ajax and Boxer, but my understanding was that the integral Recce and AT sections where always going to be Ajax/Ares on the four Armoured Infantry Battalions.
The two “apparently contradictory” statements are so vague, that trying to get anything out of them is basically the same as reading tea leaves.
Luke Pollards “four Heavy Mechanised Infantry Battalions across two Armoured Brigades… equipped and structured around the Boxer platform.” (what does that ellipses hide btw) simply means that the primary platform will be Boxer. It does not, indeed it certainly will not, mean that the only platform within those battalions is Boxer (at the very least you’d expect to see MAN SV’s and Apollo (the Repair variant of Ajax) in support roles).
Basically Pollard glossed over a huge amount of detail in the composition of the Boxer Battalions (as he probably should nobody outside of these forums needs to get bogged down in how many of what type of vehicle is in a battalion), while Eagle glossed over just very slightly less detail.
I really don’t understand why they would have a mixed track and wheeled battalion. Essentially you stack their weaknesses not their strengths by mixing them, the tracked elements scupper that strategic mobility of wheels, unless your willing to leave the tracked elements behind and the wheeled elements will act as drag and anchor down the tactical mobility of the tracked elements in deep mud, unless they are willing to leave the wheeled elements behind… I can understand having a wheeled battalion and a tracked battalion within a brigade as you then have two manoeuvre units with different strengths..one with increased strategic mobility and one with increased tactical mobility. But not mixed battalions.
Got reason to believe there is some confusion here, the response from Eagle specifically states Ajax not Ares. My former Battalion is one of the first Armoured Infantry units to transition to Boxer and at a speech given at recent briefing it was specifically stated that one of the three Rifle Coy’s was currently trialling how best to integrate Ajax with Boxer , there was no mention of Ares . This would make much more sense as it would bring at least some firepower back to the Battle Group in the form of at least some 40mm CTA cannon to mitigate in part against the loss of Warrior with its highly regarded RARDEN 30mm gun.
Worth noting that might be a nomenclature confusion. Ajax can refer to the entire Family.
i.e.
Ajax is a family of AFV’s consisting of the following Variants
Ajax
Ares
Athena
Apollo
Atlas
Argus.
So when someone says Ajax it can mean either any member of the Ajax family, or specifically the Ajax variant. It’s a flaw of the naming system.
Hardly news, this has been rumoured for some time.
Just like in the old Warrior AI Battalions, where there were CVRT Scimitar within the formation, Thus Ajax Scout and Ares would replace those roles within, just as they are scheduled to in Armoured and Armoured Cavalry Regiments as well.
Eagle is stating the current official order of play and nothing else.
Word was these might end up all tracked formations with a big expansion of the Ares order for the Infantry Companies and subsequent reduction in future Boxer orders, or Boxer shifted to parts of 1 UK Division.