Use of the much-troubled British Army AJAX vehicle, only recently awarded IOC status, has been paused for two weeks for a safety investigation.
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In a statement issued this evening to JOINT-FORCES an MoD spokesperson said: “The safety of our personnel is our top priority. This weekend a small number of soldiers reported symptoms of noise and vibration, having taken part in an exercise involving the AJAX armoured fighting vehicle.
“The Army immediately stopped the exercise and proactively tested all personnel involved for symptoms. Upon testing, around 30 personnel presented noise and vibration symptoms. That vast majority of these have now been medically cleared and are continuing on duty. A small number of personnel continue to receive expert medical care.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry has asked the Army to pause all use of AJAX for training and exercising for two weeks, while a safety investigation is carried out into the events this weekend. A small amount of testing of the vehicle will continue, in order to ensure that any issues can to identified and resolved.
“This pause underlines our absolute commitment to the safety of our personnel. As with any major equipment programme, we continue to test and refine the vehicle to ensure safety and performance.”
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Some further reading:-
- 06 Nov 25 ~ Initial Operating Capability for AJAX Finally Declared
- 30 Mar 22 ~ The AJAX Lessons Learned Review
- 15 Dec 21 ~ UK Defence Ministerial Oral Statement On The AJAX Programme
- 21 Jul 21 ~ AJAX Recent Developments ~ The British Army NIMROD?
- 16 Oct 20 ~ British Army AJAX IOC Delayed
