British Ajax IFV program faces extended delays amid reports of crew vibrations and hearing loss
The British Ministry of Defense has pushed back the commissioning date for the Ajax infantry fighting vehicle by 18 months, during which time reports have surfaced about hearing loss linked to vibration among soldiers. The delays were noted by Forces.net.
The Ajax project, aimed at delivering five and a half hundred modern vehicles at a cost of 589 billion pounds, has drawn sharp criticism after spanning nearly 13 years without a single example entering active service.
Currently, 37 vehicles are undergoing tests, another 143 have been produced but cannot be handed over to troops because testing remains incomplete, and in addition, 414 buildings and 116 towers have been constructed in parallel efforts.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace says that this level of project readiness is intended to speed up the delivery of vehicles to British units once testing and fixes are fully completed.
As part of addressing vibration and noise issues, seating slots for soldiers have been redesigned, and the joysticks and other control interfaces have been improved to enhance operability and comfort.
Additionally, earmuffs with built-in hearing assistance have been developed to improve communication among crew members in demanding environments.
To date, test vehicles have accumulated around 120 kilometers of road and cross-country driving, fired about 9,000 rounds, and replaced 50 tons of armor plates that failed during protection tests.
Earlier reports indicate that the Public Accounts Committee of the British Parliament described the Ajax program as a national security concern due to ongoing delays. The committee warned that management of the project was flawed from the outset and that the Ministry of Defence repeatedly made fundamental planning and execution mistakes in this major military equipment program.
The committee also cautioned that the department still does not know when Ajax will enter service or whether the noise and vibration problems identified during the early testing phase will be resolved.