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£6.3bn military project 'has left troubles behind'
Western Daily Press
|November 07, 2025
THE Ajax armoured vehicle programme has “left its troubles behind”, a minister has promised.
> An AJAX (AFV) Armoured Fighting Vehicle
(Andrew Linnett)
The £6.3 billion Ministry of Defence project to build 589 of the advanced vehicles has been a source of strong criticism after years of delays.
While vehicles were initially intended to enter service in 2017, the project has suffered serious setbacks, with problems including noise and vibration issues which injured soldiers testing the vehicles.
But Ajax has now declared initial operating capability (IOC), a key delivery milestone that means it can now deploy a squadron on operations.
Luke Pollard, minister for defence readiness and industry, said the project had “overcome” its difficulties.
Speaking in Merthyr Tydfil on Wednesday, he said: “Ajax has overcome significant challenges, but importantly, we can say it has left its troubles behind.
This story is from the November 07, 2025 edition of Western Daily Press.
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