Concerns that £6.3 billion armoured vehicle is 'not fit for use' in combat

An armoured vehicle that cost the taxpayer £6.3 billion may never be fit for use in combat, a report has warned.

Concerns have been raised repeatedly about the Ajax vehicle and the impact of noise and vibration on a crew, with Westminster’s Public Accounts Committee warning there were “unrealistic expectations” about how soldiers safely operate the armoured vehicle in a war zone.

The fears came in a damning report that also found the Government’s delay in publishing the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) undermined the UK’s security.

The Ajax system was initially expected to enter into operation in 2017 but has been repeatedly hit by setbacks over crew safety concerns. The vehicle was finally cleared for operations in November last year but within weeks an exercise had to be halted because soldiers experienced symptoms linked to noise and vibration.

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Public Accounts Committee chairman Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said: “We were frankly astounded to hear officials explain that proper use of Ajax requires maintenance checks every time it is stopped. This is frankly an insult to intelligence, and much good may this advice do our fighting men and women if called upon to operate Ajax in combat. The MoD must now explain how it will make Ajax fit for purpose, and how much this will cost.”

The MPs on the Commons spending watchdog also criticised the delays in the Government publishing its DIP, which was originally due last year but may now not be published until July.

The DIP was initially expected to be published in autumn 2025, and will set the direction of the forces for the next decade.

Sir Geoffrey added: “Whatever the content of the Dip when it eventually does appear, the damage from its absence has been done – to the nation’s credibility, to its safety, to its armed forces, and to certainty within its entire defence industrial base.”

The DIP is expected in the coming days, with the PM promising it will be published before the Nato summit in Turkey, beginning on July 7.

Defence Committee Chair Tan Dhesi said: “The DIP’s absence has left UK defence in a state of paralysis, while our adversaries move forward. Government needs to set about urgently fixing this, and publishing the DIP is the first step to doing so.”

A MoD spokesman said the Government is providing a “generational increase” in defence spending, with an extra £270 billion across this Parliament.

The spokesman said: “The defence investment plan will fix the outdated, overcommitted and underfunded programme we inherited. We are working hard to finalise it. As the Defence Secretary told Parliament this week, the Prime Minister is determined to publish it before the Nato Summit.”