Recommendation 6

The Department’s plans for using Ajax are at risk because of uncertainty about what constitutes full operating capability, when this will be achieved and how Ajax vehicles will be enhanced in the future. The Department’s original in-service date, 2017, was revised to June 2021, which has also been missed. It will not set a new initial operating capability date until it has resolved the on-going noise and vibration problems, and has no confidence in achieving the full operating capability target of April 2025. Therefore, 12 years after letting the design contract, the Department has no realistic target dates for introducing the Ajax capability. We are also extremely concerned that the Department may accept compromises on the level of capability that will be achieved at these milestones. Further, the Department is encountering difficulties on the enabling programmes needed to deliver the intended capability improvements and allow the Army to deploy Ajax on operations. In particular, delays to the Morpheus programme mean it will take longer before Ajax has the enhanced digital and communication systems which are so important to the way in which the Army plans to use the vehicles. The Department is seeking to develop a longer-term relationship with industry to enable upgrades throughout Ajax’s service life to keep pace with technological developments and future military threats. Recommendation: Once the Department has reached agreement on solutions to the noise and vibration problems, it must agree a revised schedule and critical path 8 Armoured Vehicles: the Ajax programme for initial operating capability and full operating capability, covering all enabling programmes. This should include clear definitions of what will be delivered at each stage, without reducing requirements just to achieve these milestones. Armoured Vehicles: the Ajax programme 9 1 The difficulties encountered by the Ajax programme