Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry (): I am releasing this
statement to the House today to provide Parliament with a further
update on the Armoured Cavalry Programme, commonly known as Ajax,
following issues raised on Exercise Titan Storm in November 2025.
Since my last update to this House, where I provided the findings
of the Ministerial Review, the Army Safety Investigation Team
(ASIT) investigation has now completed its investigation. ASIT's
findings indicate no single causal mechanism of the symptoms
reported by our soldiers but rather a combination of multiple
factors. Specifically on noise and vibration, levels were found
to be below legal exposure limits. Instead, these symptoms were
likely the result of a combination of factors, including
technical issues related to platform conditions at the time of
the exercise — such as incorrect track tension and loose or
missing engine deck bolts — alongside environmental and human
factors, including variability in training and experience, cold
exposure, and air quality within the Ajax vehicle itself.
The Independent Expert Panel Review remains ongoing, with a final
report due soon, and will focus on the less well understood human
and environmental factors relevant across Defence more broadly.
In January this year I updated this House on the Ministerial
Review which examined the quality of advice that Ministers,
senior officials and military leadership across the MOD received.
On receiving further advice from the MOD's Permanent Secretary,
we commissioned a further independent review to explore this
issue. I can confirm that the Terms of Reference have been agreed
and a lead reviewer has been identified and will be appointed
shortly.
The safety of our people is non-negotiable. That is the standard
our Armed Forces deserve, and it is the standard this Government
will uphold.
I can confirm today that all personnel have now returned to
normal duties following Exercise Titan Storm. The majority of
soldiers who felt ill during this exercise suffered from
temporary symptoms and with the ASIT report concluding that there
was no single causal factor for the symptoms experienced by the
soldiers, I have now agreed to restart the acceptance of vehicles
from General Dynamics. However, I accept that the experience for
our soldiers using Ajax has not been good enough and that is not
acceptable.
I have implemented strict new controls on the reintroduction of
the Ajax vehicles that is focussed on providing a significantly
improved user experience.
Given that the issues presented on Exercise Titan Storm, and to
ensure the safety of our personnel, I can confirm that the 23
vehicles on the Exercise will be treated separately and will not
be put back in the hands of soldiers until we have confirmed that
it is appropriate to do so.
We have been engaging extensively and directly with our soldiers
throughout this process – their experiences matter and they are
shaping much of what we do next. As a result, we are considering
a phased approach to restarting the Ajax programme.
The first phase will include the restarting of trials using the
current version of Ajax. A limited number of vehicles will be
used and under very controlled circumstances and maintenance
regimes.
The second phase will see the delivery of a number of
improvements relating to the use of air filtration, crew
compartment heating, and the electrical power generation system –
key themes identified and prioritised following Exercise Titan
Storm.
In addition to these improvements, we will further bolster the
safety approach to the Ajax programme. Taking lessons from the
aviation industry, we will instigate an approach which will
instil a common thread between design, maintenance and operation.
Included as part of that work, there will be named individuals
within the Army Chain of Command who will hold the separate
responsibilities for operating and maintaining the vehicle. This
is to ensure there cannot be instances where desire to operate a
vehicle within the chain of command compromises the necessity for
the highest standards of safety. That is why any return to
training will also be very controlled with a crawl-walk-run
staged progression ensuring safety is paramount throughout.
Using the information gathered from our soldiers, we will
continue to proceed safely, responsibly, and transparently to
deliver an improved Ajax vehicle for our soldiers.
While we are proceeding cautiously with Ajax, we know we have
more to do to rebuild confidence in the vehicle, and we do not
underestimate the work still ahead. We aspire to deliver a
vehicle into service that is effective on the battlefield and
works for our soldiers.
We will continue to work with General Dynamics to proceed safely,
responsibly, and transparently to deliver an improved Ajax user
experience for our soldiers. The above commitments will be met
within the existing programme scope and financial envelope.
As I have done, I will continue to keep the House closely updated
on the progress of the programme.
