Page 29 - ADT NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2021 Online Magazine

In a letter on October 1, the UK Infrastructure [ LAND SYSTEMS ]
and Projects Authority appointed David Marsh,
the Ministry of Defence’s director of project
delivery, as the one in charge of either bring-
ing the Ajax programme back on track or
terminating it. While the letter asks Marsh to
“develop a robust plan to recover and reset
Increasingly Crowded Market it (the programme), then ensure its ongoing
In September this year, Thailand awarded a contract to Panus viability and delivery,” it also made him respon-
Assembly Co. for the supply of two 8x8 Amphibious APCs for the sible for “ensuring the ongoing viability of the
Royal Thai Navy. Chaiseri Metal & Rubber Co. has been selected programme and recommending its pause or
to deliver six 4x4 multi-purpose armored vehicles to the service. termination if appropriate.”
Meanwhile, Belarus in June this year unveiled a prototype of a new
APC; the V-2 MZKT-690003, produced by the Minsk Wheeled According to a Sept. 6 statement from Jeremy
Tractor Plant (MZKT) is designed for transporting personnel, fire Quin, defense procurement minister, the prob-
support, protection against small arms and explosive devices, lems related to excessive noise and vibrations
suppression of counter force, anti-tank weapons, light armored in the Ajax vehicles were initially raised in Dec.
vehicles, tanks, and low-speed enemy air targets. The 20-ton V-2 2018. General Dynamics UK, on its part, has
has Br4 ballistic protection, mine protection STANAG 4569 of stated that “noise and vibration injuries were not
level 2a/2b, and can reach 10 km/h in water and 110 km/h on land. raised with GDLS–UK prior to autumn 2020.”
Belarus will also receive its second batch of Russian BTR-82A The company says that “it does not anticipate
armored vehicles before the end of the year. Russia has also pro- that any significant system or chassis modifi-
vided APCs to Serbia. cations are required to address feedback on
noise and vibration raised by vehicle users.”
The U.S. Army’s first Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV), which
are set to replace M113 armored personnel carriers, was delivered Quin has openly declared Ajax as a troubled
in August last year by BAE Systems. The low-rate initial production programme and officials at the Infrastructure
(LRIP) contract awarded in 2018 is for more than 450 vehicles. and Projects Authority seem to support his
view, having expressed doubts about the suc-
cessful delivery of the program.
The Ajax Problem for UK
The biggest catalyst going forward for the growth of the armoured “IT REQUIRES A LOT OF WORK
vehicles market is Europe, with a number of nations, including the
United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, France and Germany, Italy, and Spain FROM OURSELVES AND OUR
all in the marker for new heavy armoured platforms. According to INDUSTRY PARTNERS TO GET
analysts, European militaries alone would be inducting more than OURSELVES BACK ON TRACK,”
3,200 such vehicles at a total cost of more than US$11.5 billion. Quin said at a Parliamentary Defence Select
An acquisition programme that is making the headlines for all Committee meeting earlier this year. “WE
the wrong reasons is the proposed delivery of General Dynamics
UK-developed Ajax armoured reconnaissance vehicle for the British CAN’T BE 100 PERCENT CERTAIN
Army. The 2014 contract calls for the delivery of 589 Ajax family THAT THAT CAN BE ACHIEVED.”
vehicles, but the 25 vehicles that have already been delivered have
been dogged with noise and vibration problems, leading to delays In November 2019, the UK, which has cancelled
in Army trails and testing, and possible vibration and noise injuries Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) upgrade
to hundreds of soldiers. Initial operating capability, which was set programme, awarded Germany’s ARTEC con-
for June last year and later rescheduled to June this year, is yet to sortium a US$2.97 billion contract to deliver
be declared, and the fate of the US $7.5 billion project now hangs more than 520 Boxer vehicles in multiple con-
in the balance. figurations. While 8 % of the Boxers meant for

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