U.K. Halts $8B Ajax Armored Vehicle after Fresh Soldier Injury

The U.K. government has halted all trials of the Ajax armoured fighting vehicle after another soldier was injured during testing, tightening scrutiny on a £6.3 billion ($8 billion) programme increasingly defined by safety failures, delays, and uncertainty over whether it will survive.

Defence Minister Luke Pollard said the latest injury occurred on December 12 at the Bovington training area, where a service member reported vibration-related symptoms after riding in the vehicle. The incident follows earlier reports from about 30 personnel who experienced noise and vibration problems during the Army’s Titan Storm exercise in November.

“This additional report of an injury is a serious concern to me so, out of an abundance of caution and to ensure the safety of our personnel, I have directed a pause on all Ajax trials,” Pollard said in a written statement to Parliament. The decision extends an existing suspension of the vehicle’s use for training and exercises.

Pollard said the injured soldier did not require hospital treatment and is receiving medical support. He said the pause will allow time for the symptoms to be investigated and for the vehicle to be thoroughly inspected, with a decision on whether trials can restart to be assessed in the New Year.

The latest incident occurred during reliability growth trials, which had been allowed to continue after training activity was stopped, as they were intended to support safety investigations. Following the December injury, those trials have now also been suspended on safety grounds and will not be reviewed again until at least the new year.

Launched in 2014 and led by U.S. defence contractor General Dynamics, the Ajax programme was originally scheduled to enter service in 2017. Persistent noise and vibration issues have driven repeated delays. The British Army has ordered 589 vehicles in six variants, with deliveries now expected by 2030.

After the November incidents, the Ministry of Defence launched several investigations. Pollard said probes into the November 26 exercise found affected personnel were operating across 23 vehicles. All have undergone a 45-point inspection. Additional inspections focused on identifying the source of the noise and vibration have been completed on 13 Ajax vehicles, with the remaining 10 due to be tested before findings are reported to ministers in the New Year.

Separate investigations by the Army and the Defence Accident Investigation Branch are under way. The vehicle involved in the December incident will also be inspected independently. Pollard confirmed he met with General Dynamics last week.

The renewed suspension has intensified questions over the future of the Ajax. Defence Secretary John Healey has not ruled out scrapping the programme. Uncertainty over Ajax is reportedly contributing to delays in the government’s Defence Investment Plan, which will outline U.K. military equipment spending for the next decade. The plan, expected before Christmas, has now been delayed until 2026.

Pollard said investigations into Ajax “will be closely aligned to decisions in the Defence Investment Plan.”

The Ajax weighs more than 40 tonnes and costs nearly £10 million per vehicle. It is intended to replace armoured platforms dating back to the 1970s and would be the first new armoured fighting vehicle to enter U.K. Army service in almost 30 years. A 2021 internal review found that senior Army and Ministry of Defence officials had known for up to two years that earlier Ajax trials posed potential health risks, including hearing damage, before action was taken.