The Army has stopped using its Ajax armored vehicles after soldiers became unwell due to noise and vibration during combat exercises.
The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said around 30 soldiers became ill during training in using armored fighting vehicles at the weekend, and an investigation has been launched “out of an abundance of caution”.
According to The Times newspaper, some people emerged from the vehicles vomiting, while others were shaking so hard they could not control their bodies after the war games on Salisbury Plain.
It comes just weeks after the UK government said it was “confident” NATO allies would be interested in purchasing armored vehicles made in south Wales.
Defense Minister Luke Pollard claimed the £6.3 billion program had “put its troubles behind us”, as Ajax declared Initial Operational Capability (IOC), meaning it can deploy one squadron on operations.
The multi-million pound vehicles, built in Merthyr Tydfil by General Dynamics, were originally scheduled to enter service in 2019.
“This weekend, some soldiers taking part in an exercise involving the Ajax armored fighting vehicle reported symptoms of noise and vibration,” a Defense Ministry spokesperson said.
Upon testing “about 30 personnel showed symptoms of noise and vibration”.
It said a “small number of personnel” were still receiving specialist medical care, but the “vast majority” had been cleared for duty.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the Minister for Defense Readiness and Industry has asked the Army to stop all use of Ajax for training and exercises for two weeks while a security check is conducted for the events scheduled for this weekend.
“There will continue to be some testing of the vehicle to ensure that any issues can be identified and resolved.”
The Ajax program has faced long delays because noise and vibration have injured soldiers who have tested the vehicles.
A review of the £6.3 billion program in 2023 highlighted “systemic, cultural and institutional problems” at the Ministry of Defense and “numerous errors of judgment” in the Ajax project.
More than 160 Ajax vehicles have been built, out of a projected 589.
Before the two-week pause was announced, it was anticipated that full operational capacity for the program would not be achieved for the next four years.
Speaking on 5 November, Pollard said that AJX vehicles had proven to be “the most advanced medium weight armored fighting vehicle on the planet”.
“We have a fully prepared squadron, ready to fight, ready to win, with much more in the pipeline,” he said.
The Ajax CVR(T) is a replacement for the aging fleet of vehicles that first entered service in 1971.
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