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The government is ready to pull the plug on the £5 billion Ajax armoured vehicle programme, Defence Secretary John Healey has declared , as serious concerns mount over the safety of soldiers operating the troubled vehicles, reports The Times.
Healey's stark warning comes after reports of soldiers suffering severe hearing loss, vomiting, and uncontrollable shaking while testing the Ajax vehicles in recent training exercises. The Defence Secretary vowed to "deal with the consequences" of any decision made regarding the programme's future.
"I have confidence in Roly and I am prepared to take whatever decisions are required," he said. "We have a review that I have asked Luke Pollard to lead."
"We have the results from an army inquiry due and we have also got a safety investigation currently going on. I'll pull those together and I'll make decisions that follow on the programme itself."
He added: "We will deal with the consequences that might or might not be," and said the military could "fight tonight" without the reconnaissance vehicle.
Army Chief backed despite Minister's assurances on Ajax safety
During a visit to Portsmouth on Thursday, Healey threw his support behind General Sir Roly Walker, the army chief, even after Defence Minister Luke Pollard claimed the chief had given him assurances that the Ajax vehicle was safe.
Insiders told the Times that the army is grappling with only two viable solutions to the Ajax debacle: either invest billions more in resolving the fundamental problems or scrap the programme entirely. The army's frustration is compounded by the numerous restrictions in place for safely operating the vehicles, such as the need for dual headsets, which would be impractical in wartime situations.
A whistleblower claiming to be a former army member now working for General Dynamics (GD), the Ajax contractors, has alleged that vehicles are regularly rolling off the production line with a staggering 150 faults. Another whistleblower, believed to be serving in the army, accused GD of wrongly blaming soldiers for the issues causing deafness and sickness.
"Instead of helping each other to find the issues and rectify them allowing the platform and programme to move forward safely thus not wasting £10 billion of the taxpayers' money, they seem to just want to find a way to blame the users to try and save face," he said.
Missing equipment and endless problems plague Ajax vehicles
The second whistleblower also revealed that items were missing from the vehicles and that the communication system failed due to excessive vibrations. He described the list of problems as "endless," with multiple vehicles arriving at units "unfit for purpose and unfit to operate."
There are known multiple vehicles arriving at units "unfit for purpose, and unfit to operate due to issues that should have been rectified", he added.
He also said there were items missing from the vehicles and the communication system being used stopped working because of the excessive vibrations, describing the list of problems as "endless".
"The whole saga is a joke," he added.
GD and MoD launch investigations into whistleblower allegations
In response to the anonymous allegations, a spokesman at GD said: "General Dynamics UK cannot comment on anonymous allegations. These statements do not reflect our company's values or practices."
"We remain fully committed to delivering the Ajax programme transparently and in partnership with the British Army and the Ministry of Defence, ensuring that every vehicle meets the highest agreed standards of quality and safety. Our priority is to provide the armed forces with reliable, world-class capability that supports their mission and protects those who serve."
The MoD said:"We will always put the safety of our personnel first and the current pause shows that we will investigate any issues when they arise. We take any allegations very seriously and will look closely at any evidence provided."