The British Ministry of Defense has delayed the commissioning of the British infantry fighting vehicle (BPM) Ajax for 18 months, in which cases of hearing loss due to vibration in soldiers are recorded. It has been reported Forces.net.
The publication reminds that Ajax’s project to create 5.5 modern machines, with a cost of 589 billion pounds, caused harsh criticism because it has been implemented for almost 13 years, but so far none of them entered the army.
At the same time, 37 vehicles are participating in the tests, another 143 vehicles have been built, but have not yet been transferred to the troops due to delays in the completion of the tests. He also built 414 buildings and 116 towers.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace states that such a degree of readiness of the project will make it possible to deliver vehicles to British military units as soon as possible.
According to the publication, as part of fixing bugs related to vibration and noise, the slots of the soldier’s seats have been redesigned, joysticks and other controls have been improved.
In addition, earmuffs with a built-in hearing aid have been developed for better communication for the crew.
At this time, the test vehicles traveled 120 km, fired 9,000 rounds and replaced 50 tons of armor plates that failed the protection test.
Previously reportedHe said the British Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) described delays in the creation of a promising infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) Ajax as a threat to national security.
Parliament said the management of the Ajax project was “flawed from the start” and that the Department of Defense “once again made fundamental mistakes” in planning and managing a major military equipment program.
The committee also warned that the ministry still does not know when Ajax will enter service or whether the noise and vibration problems that arose two years after the start of trial operation will be resolved.