- MPs on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) have raised serious questions about whether the Army's £6.3 billion Ajax armoured vehicle will ever be deemed fit for combat, citing persistent concerns over noise and vibration affecting its crew.
- The Ajax system, initially due in 2017, has been plagued by setbacks; although cleared for operations last November, an exercise was halted weeks later due to soldiers experiencing noise and vibration symptoms.
- The PAC criticised the Ministry of Defence's (MoD) assertion that Ajax is safe if operated within design parameters, noting the impracticality of requiring maintenance checks every time the vehicle stops during combat.
- The committee also condemned significant delays in the publication of the government's Defence Investment Plan (DIP), which was originally due last year and is now expected by July, warning of damage to national credibility and the defence industrial base.
- The MoD stated the DIP aims to fix an "outdated, overcommitted and underfunded programme" and confirmed it is working to finalise its publication before the Nato summit on 7 July, as committed by the Prime Minister.
IN FULL
Troubled £6bn Ajax armoured vehicle may never be fit for combat, MPs warned
