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.
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.
Some 589 of the advanced, fully digitised land vehicle systems, in six different variants, will be at the heart of the Army's armoured fleet for decades to come.
The £5.5bn Ajax armoured vehicle programme has faced a considerable amount of challenges and scrutiny.
Originally intended to enter service in 2017, Ajax was repeatedly delayed, with problems including noise and vibration issues, which saw some soldiers being medically discharged because of hearing loss during the trials.
The Household Cavalry was one of the first units to get its hands on the Ajax, learning the capabilities of the vehicle in the Salisbury Plain training area.
Ajax is currently in the "demonstration and manufacture" phases of its lifecycle.
The Army said vehicles would continue to be delivered to the field Army this year, with the Household Cavalry and 6th Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) being the first to convert to Ajax.
Ajax and its variants
The Ajax comes in six distinct types:
AJAX is used for reconnaissance and direct fire, and is crewed by three people with the option of an additional passenger.
It is equipped with a fully stabilised 40mm cannon.
ATLAS is the recovery version, and has over 30 metric tonnes of winching power.
ARGUS is designed to carry out battlefield engineering tasks.
ATHENA is a command and control version.
APOLLO is a repair variant, being equipped with a five-tonne crane.
ARES is a troop carrier
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