Delays to Ajax armoured vehicles risk national security, UK MPs warn
The government must either scrap or fix a troubled modern armoured vehicle programme - or risk compromising national security, a report has said.
A review of the Ajax project by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) concluded a "litany of failures" had led to the years-long delays, BBC reports.
So far, no operational vehicles have been delivered, despite the 12-year-old project already costing over £3bn.
The new reconnaissance vehicle was supposed to enter service in 2017.
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it agreed with many of the recommendations and was taking steps to address them.
It added that any further delays would not be paid for by the taxpayer, due to the fixed price contract of £5.5bn agreed with a US weapons manufacturer.
Built by General Dynamics, the Ajax armoured vehicles are supposed to provide the army with the latest cutting edge digital battlefield technology.
Since the contract was signed in 2014, the project has delivered 26 reconnaissance vehicles out of a promised 589 vehicles - which can only be used for training.
The PAC report expressed scepticism that the Ajax programme could be delivered within existing contract arrangements.
The committee said delays had forced the military to make "operational compromises" like prolonging deployment of the Warrior armoured vehicle, which was first used in 1987.
It argues that the project has been poorly planned and managed, with major safety issues discovered during testing leading to the significant delays.
As of December 2021, more than 300 military personnel may have been harmed by excessive vibration and noise
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