It seemed the long-running troubles with the British Army's Ajax armored vehicle program were finally over even if the fixes were questionable. But no new reports say the vehicles are still injuring troops.
According to Defense Eye, the issue this time involves the Ares armored personnel carrier. After training exercises, British soldiers reportedly experienced tinnitus (ringing in the ears without external sound), severe headaches, and balance problems in some cases requiring hospitalization.
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As Defense Express reminds, such effects were already known during testing back in 2021 due to excessive vibration and noise, which delayed adoption and stretched development. The solution then was to hand out headsets and add seat cushions.
As we can now see, those measures weren't very effective and their poor results have been proven in practice. It's likely that after this story went public, new operational restrictions will again be imposed on the Ajax fleet.
The negative health effects on soldiers using IFVs and APCs are no small matter especially when they're expected to dismount quickly and fight right after enduring intense vibration and noise.
Britain chose the Ajax 15 years ago to replace its aging Warrior fleet vehicles now slated for retirement and notably not sent to Ukraine. The project, however, has faced major delays and fallen into what's often called production hell.
The Ajax is based on the ASCOD platform from General Dynamics European Land Systems, which beat out the CV90 from BAE Systems a decision long criticized, most recently by former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
After billions spent, it's unlikely the program will be canceled outright in favor of another vehicle. Still, its unresolved flaws cast serious doubt on the UKs combat readiness already under strain from financial uncertainty and capability gaps.
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