- Defence minister Jeremy Quin said he cannot promise the Ajax will ever be used
- 310 soldiers have been urged to seek medical attention after testing the vehicle
- The injuries were caused by the noise of its engine and vibrations
The Army’s crisis-hit £3.5billion armoured vehicle programme may be abandoned, a defence minister admitted yesterday.
Jeremy Quin told MPs he could not promise the Ajax would ever be used because troops have suffered hearing loss, back spasms and joint pains.
The shock admission came after the Daily Mail revealed that 310 soldiers have been urged to seek medical attention after testing the vehicle.
The injuries were caused by the noise of its engine and vibrations.
Ajax also struggled to fire accurately on the move and to reverse over obstacles – although there has been progress in these areas according to defence officials.
Trials of the vehicle, which were paused earlier this year because of the injuries, have resumed with UK manufacturers General Dynamics providing test drivers. It has already cost the Ministry of Defence well over £3billion in down payments.
Mr Quin told the House of Commons: ‘I cannot promise 100 per cent we will find a resolution to these issues, but we are determined to work through with General Dynamics.
‘We will not accept an initial operating capability until we have a clear resolution to the issues on noise and vibration.
‘We need a vehicle that works and which is fit for purpose and that is what we’re determined to deliver.
‘I have previously described Ajax as a troubled programme. It is. But that does not mean that the problems are irresolvable.’
Conservative former defence minister Mark Francois said the Ajax programme showed that MoD procurement was ‘completely broken’.
