Ajax Armoured Vehicles (British Army)

[RunningStrong]

It's a great facility and workforce and I hope that they get some continued business.

[Jackstar]

Marshall delivering cost-effective state-of-the-art driver training simulators for the British Army.
Delivering skilled AJAX drivers to the UK Army.
The UK Ministry of Defence has purchased the AJAX armoured vehicle family, which is due to enter service shortly. To ensure high quality driver training, the British Army required a simulator that fully replicated the look and feel of the real vehicle operating in the same way yet providing driver training at a fraction of the cost of using the real vehicle.
https://marshall-landsystems.com/our-stories/ajax

[Jackstar]

Ajax on the move.

[Jackstar]

UK tests Ajax armoured vehicle with Saab's Mobile Camouflage System.

The Household Cavalry Regiment has rigorously tested the capabilities of Ajax in real-time battlefield conditions. The latest trials showcased the Ajax equipped with the advanced Mobile Camouflage System (MCS) developed by Saab, a leading company in the defence and security sector.
https://www.armyrecognition.com/defense ... ystem.html

[mr.fred]

The same MCS is currently in use in Ukraine on the CV9040s from Sweden, so there ought to be excellent evidence on how it stands up to operational use. No harm in further testing though.
As an applique system it offers the ability to alter the performance between testing, exercises and operational use, even between different theatres, which is something I’m quite a fan of.

[RunningStrong]

It's been part of the design for years.

https://www.saab.com/newsroom/press-rel ... ge-systems

[Jackstar]

SCORPION CYCLONE 2023 was the first major field exercise for the UK’s new 1st Deep Reconnaissance Strike (1 DRS) Brigade Combat Team (BCT)

"Integral to this is the new AJAX fighting vehicle family working alongside integrated unmanned aerial vehicles, electronic warfare and counter-fires radar"

https://www.joint-forces.com/features/6 ... strike-bct

[Jackstar]

The British Army’s new AJAX vehicle has had a problematic introduction to service but now it has taken part in its first exercise recently, Ex Iron Titan.

A troop from the Household Cavalry deployed onto the exercise to take part in their AJAX & ARES vehicles.

Ex Iron Titan was a large scale exercise which incorporated Artillery, Engineers, Logistics & reconnaissance elements.

[Jackstar]

Get up close and personal with the British Army's new Ajax armoured vehicle.
Ajax, the British Army's new armoured vehicle, has been put through its paces on the Salisbury Plain training area, with its crews delighted by its firepower, features, reliability and performance.

https://www.forces.net/technology/land- ... ed-vehicle

[Jackstar]

Under the hood: Rare access to the British Army's advanced Ajax.
"An excellent piece of kit"

https://www.forces.net/technology/under ... nd-vehicle

[BB85]

For some reason I always thought the storage bins on the side opened down the way which is why there is a huge overhang. I know it's just aesthetics but always thought Ajax looked odd versus CV90 and Lynx that either don't use storage boxes on the side or have lower panels which makes them flush on the side reducing the radar cross section.

I'm still shocked not to see any barrel sleeve on the canon, what is the point in putting the Saab thermal reduction kit on it when the barrel has no thermal reduction on it at all?

[RunningStrong]

For some reason I always thought the storage bins on the side opened down the way which is why there is a huge overhang. I know it's just aesthetics but always thought Ajax looked odd versus CV90 and Lynx that either don't use storage boxes on the side or have lower panels which makes them flush on the side reducing the radar cross section.

I'm still shocked not to see any barrel sleeve on the canon, what is the point in putting the Saab thermal reduction kit on it when the barrel has no thermal reduction on it at all?

Barrel sleeves are rarely if ever imposed for signature reduction purposes...

The British army loves carrying equipment. The British Army Boxer at DSEi was a great demonstration of that compared to the 'naked' versions seen elsewhere at the show.

[Tempest414]

Should be also noted that as we intend to use our Recce units for deep recce strike they will need to take more kit with them

[SKB]

(Forces News) 15th November 2023

Ajax, the British Army's new armoured vehicle, has been put through its paces on the Salisbury Plain training area, with its crews delighted by its firepower, features, reliability and performance.

The Army resumed training in June with its Ajax fleet, the well-documented "problem children of British procurement", and Forces News was given special permission to be one of the first to see the vehicle in action.

The next Ajax milestone will come next year – when the first operationally deployable vehicles are issued to troops.

(Forces News) 16th November 2023

Built to offer enhanced lethality, survivability, reliability, mobility and all-weather intelligence, the Ajax land vehicle system has been designed to be at the heart of the British Army's future armoured fleet.

The £5.5bn initiative has faced a considerable amount of challenges and scrutiny, but the new vehicle has been in action on Salisbury Plain, with the Household Cavalry being one of the first to get its hands on the new vehicle.

Troop commander Lieutenant James Bird gives Forces News a unique close-up look around the vehicle.

(Forces News) 17th November 2023

The General Dynamics factory near Merthyr Tydfil in the heart of the Welsh Valleys is where all six variants of the Ajax, the British Army's advanced land vehicle system, are being built.

Ajax is designed to be at the heart of the Army's future armoured fleet, and 589 vehicles from the Ajax family are being built at this site.

Forces News has been given special permission to go on the factory floor to see how these highly capable vehicles are being constructed.

[RunningStrong]

Look at all those hulls!

[tomuk]

highlighted the progress made since the contract amendment in September

What is this contract amendment for? Does it effect the fixed price nature of the contract?

[RunningStrong]

highlighted the progress made since the contract amendment in September

What is this contract amendment for? Does it effect the fixed price nature of the contract?

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ajax ... x%20months.

[SD67]

"With an initial payment of £480 million, withheld since December 2020 due to challenges with noise and vibration, the MOD will resume payments to General Dynamics as the vehicles are scheduled to enter initial operating capability between July and December 2025"

I'd still like to see hard metal handed over before hard cash is handed over.

[RunningStrong]

"With an initial payment of £480 million, withheld since December 2020 due to challenges with noise and vibration, the MOD will resume payments to General Dynamics as the vehicles are scheduled to enter initial operating capability between July and December 2025"

I'd still like to see hard metal handed over before hard cash is handed over.

That's not how these programmes work. The material costs and long lead items are covered through incremental payments, not always linked to 'handover'. It's the same throughout any large programme.

People otherwise seem to forget that AJAX is a firm fixed contract. Any General Dynamics issues are for themselves to pay for. But if it's MoD's failings...

[SD67]

Interesting. On Astute the main payment milestone was handover, and it's a much lumpier product. Long lead items were generally purchased by the MOD directly and provided to BAE as segregated Project stock ie GFE.

If 3.4 billion paid out of 6 billion refers to long lead items then there should be a stack of MTU engines and Renk gearboxes sitting outside Merthyr Tydfil right now

[RunningStrong]

Interesting. On Astute the main payment milestone was handover, and it's a much lumpier product. Long lead items were generally purchased by the MOD directly and provided to BAE as segregated Project stock ie GFE.

That's a different contract model. Aside from the Cannon which was GFx, GD have to buy chassis, turret and sensors from their suppliers on long-lead, many years before vehicle production is complete.

If 3.4 billion paid out of 6 billion refers to long lead items then there should be a stack of MTU engines and Renk gearboxes sitting outside Merthyr Tydfil right now

And LM Turrets, and Thales sights and....

[Jackstar]

[Jackstar]

One of the British Army’s new AJAX variants, the ‘ARES’, is seen in this video being put through its paces in some muddy off road driving in and around a woodlands on a windy autumn day.

The ‘ARES’ is a specialist troop carrier and can provide overwatch and dismounted support.

[Timmymagic]

Look at all those hulls!

It would be funny if GD was only renting the racking....over the years the cost may have used up all their profit margin....

[BB85]

I wonder if the banging the crew were complaining about was the step ladders bouncing and banging on the hull. That would be annoying.