Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 21
21
The Department accepted that it cannot be certain the programme will not encounter further technical...
Conclusion
The Department accepted that it cannot be certain the programme will not encounter further technical or safety issues, stating that it is usual for engineering development on this scale to encounter challenges as it goes through the development cycle. It acknowledged that it is still testing compliance with the specifications and had proven only 30% of technical requirements so far.44 In addition, in December 2021, the Department was tracking 136 ‘concerns’, only four of which related to noise and vibration, and had still to remove 27 limitations of use on Ajax vehicles, of which 11 were critical to achieving initial operating capability.45 The Department said it was planning a series of reliability trials to test whether the vehicles were working properly and do what they were designed to do.46 Delivering the programme
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The department is focussed on identifying the root causes of the noise and vibration issues to develop long-term solutions to ensure Ajax operates as required by the Army. The Written Ministerial Statement laid out in Parliament on 19 May 2022 sets out the assessments underway to determine the efficacy of the modifications proposed by General Dynamics, in particularly the user trials that will provide additional data for the independent assessment on the effectiveness of the modifications and develop a safe system of work to protect personnel in future tests and trials. An update on progress will be provided to the Committee at the next Ajax evidence session.