Ajax Armoured Vehicles (British Army)

[RunningStrong]

I thought I saw a post talking about Fox hound mark 2, maybe MRV-P will pick up again.

Unfortunately Ajax has been built so bespoke to British army requirements it has been a total flop in the export market. Too heavy to be a scout and reconasaince vehicle but too small internally to be considered an IFV.

It's the same weight as other Armoured Recce vehicles with similar protection...

It's fundamentally capable of being an IFV (as is ASCOD 2) if that is the intended purpose of the design. However, even when there were 20 or so variants proposed (including many of the CVRT capabilities) there was not any IFV. There was a direct fire 105mm proposed, would was reason for the larger turret ring.

[mr.fred]

Unfortunately Ajax has been built so bespoke to British army requirements it has been a total flop in the export market. Too heavy to be a scout and reconasaince vehicle but too small internally to be considered an IFV.

Considering that Australia and Germany are acquiring turreted Boxer as a Scout and Reconnaissance vehicle and that is >90% the GVW of Ajax, while being considerably taller, I'd say that your assessment there is a bit off.

Ajax is poorly laid out as an IFV, but there's scope for Ares to fit a turret of some kind* and still carry a useful number of infantry.


* probably remote and with limited or no roof penetration.

[RunningStrong]

Unfortunately Ajax has been built so bespoke to British army requirements it has been a total flop in the export market. Too heavy to be a scout and reconasaince vehicle but too small internally to be considered an IFV.

Considering that Australia and Germany are acquiring turreted Boxer as a Scout and Reconnaissance vehicle and that is >90% the GVW of Ajax, while being considerably taller, I'd say that your assessment there is a bit off.

Ajax is poorly laid out as an IFV, but there's scope for Ares to fit a turret of some kind* and still carry a useful number of infantry.


* probably remote and with limited or no roof penetration.

Well said. When people argue that AJAX is too big, they've clearly not met BOXER.

At DSEI it made CR3 look tiny, and the MAN Elbit Artillery look reasonable...

[mr.fred]

Well said. When people argue that AJAX is too big, they've clearly not met BOXER.

Thank you.
To go further, this is the picture I wanted to use to highlight the issue, but couldn't find earlier:

Note how the Boxer hull roof is about level with Ajax's turret roof.

[RunningStrong]

BOXER CRV versus Abrams.

[BB85]

Unfortunately Ajax has been built so bespoke to British army requirements it has been a total flop in the export market. Too heavy to be a scout and reconasaince vehicle but too small internally to be considered an IFV.

Considering that Australia and Germany are acquiring turreted Boxer as a Scout and Reconnaissance vehicle and that is >90% the GVW of Ajax, while being considerably taller, I'd say that your assessment there is a bit off.

Ajax is poorly laid out as an IFV, but there's scope for Ares to fit a turret of some kind* and still carry a useful number of infantry.


* probably remote and with limited or no roof penetration.

Fair point. I'm not a fan of Boxer as a scout vehicle either, I was thinking more along the lines of the French Jaguar EBRC. I guess cross country performance will be the deciding factor.
Lets just hope once it's in service it can put all of its development woes behind it.

[RunningStrong]

Fair point. I'm not a fan of Boxer as a scout vehicle either, I was thinking more along the lines of the French Jaguar EBRC. I guess cross country performance will be the deciding factor.
Lets just hope once it's in service it can put all of its development woes behind it.

Bwaahahaha. Have you see Jaguar with banana for scale?

[Jackstar]

"Defence Procurement Minister James Cartlidge has also confirmed 93 Ajax vehicles will be ready for service this year"

https://www.forces.net/technology/land- ... -each-year

[Jackstar]

Reaction to Ajax, combat ready HQ.
British Army in Sweden | Ajax: The New Generation of Armoured Fighting Vehicles | Soldier Reacts.

[Jackstar]

Ajax demonstrates capabilities in extreme cold weather
By Tom Dunlop - April 23, 202482
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Ajax, the British Army’s newest generation of armoured fighting vehicles, has successfully completed rigorous trials in the challenging sub-zero conditions of Sweden.
The trials, which saw temperatures plummet to as low as -36 Celsius, were conducted by the Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) Ajax delivery team in collaboration with the Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR).

This marks the first time that a Field Army crew has operated and fired the Ajax, showcasing its cutting-edge Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) technology in extreme conditions.

The vehicle was tested for its ability to manoeuvre over snow-covered terrain and execute firing on the move with remarkable accuracy.

Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2) Paul Martin, the Range Conducting Officer, oversaw the range and firing serials, mirroring his duties in the UK. Reflecting on the trials, WO2 Martin remarked in a press release, “It was great to work alongside our Army colleagues and industry who all have one common purpose and that’s the end goal of delivering this exceptional platform to the Field Army. It was an extremely challenging environment, but working as a group we were able to successfully deliver our objective of demonstrating that Ajax can travel long distances over snow-covered terrain and fire on the move with great accuracy.”

Lieutenant Colonel James Glossop, the DE&S delivery team’s Operation and Army HQ liaison, also shared his observations: “It was very impressive to see Ajax perform in Sweden. I was lucky enough to see the platforms fire during a snowstorm and use its sighting systems to identify, engage and hit targets that were simply unable to be seen by the naked eye. It was incredibly impressive and a reminder of the competitive edge this armoured vehicle will bring the British Army.”
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/ajax-de ... d-weather/