Key issues with the update include:
“The Ajax Programme has turned a corner and is progressing towards the delivery of a new generation of armoured fighting vehicles that meets the Army’s needs, against a revised delivery schedule that sets realistic and achievable milestones. The MOD continues to work closely with General Dynamics to deliver the 589 vehicles, of which there are six variants, all based upon a common base platform.”
Growth and Reliability Testing (GTS) is underway.
“AJAX, APOLLO, ATLAS and ARES variants have traveled more than 20,000 kilometers across other terrain, completing a variety of representative battlefield missions. GTA allows for many more activities beyond normal unit training.
Since June, Field Army ensembles have been educating about the existing variant of the Ajax (Capability Drop 1), focusing on individual and aerial team education. This education allows troops to learn how to fly armored cars and how to use the systems built into them. The education will also allow the team to expand their skills, enjoyment and competencies prior to the delivery of the Capability Drop 3 vehicles, the fully deployable enhanced variant.
Production of the Capability Drop 3 vehicle continues at Merthyr Tydfil with full operational production and all six variants underway, with delivery to the Field Army from 2024.
Senior Responsible Owner for the Armoured Cavalry Programme, Chris Bowbrick said:
“I am pleased with the progress made across the program over the last six months. We want to build on our momentum to deliver this new generation of armored fighting vehicles to the British Army. “
The new year begins with the Ajax Live Crew Clearance cold weather testing taking place in Sweden. This is the first time Ajax will shoot with military equipment outside the UK.
Hmm. . . I’m skeptical about genuine proof, which is what the average soldier reports and how it manifests on the battlefield. Maybe we can send some to Ukraine and see how they fare in this theater of war?
I doubt very much that he is that sensitive. The Russian challenge is not what the Western generation is, but how to build it without a proper chipmaker. Not making an investment in this area was a big mistake for them in Soviet times.
Go ahead, it’s pretty unexpected how specific it’s become. Some of FinFet’s express machines are manufactured in Belgium, at most all cellular chips are licensed to one degree or another by Arm, and more than 90% are manufactured in Taiwan or the South. Korean companies. The company Apple bought to start its chip business was at the time a major supplier of the U. S. full-capacity missiles. In fact, it was the big shift to RISC microprocessors that created this situation, making Arm the chip designer and Taiwan the chip-producing capital. Yes. . . Read More »
That’s true, but they’re friends with the Chinese and they’ll borrow anything. A functional style would also allow them to access features and vulnerabilities.
How? The only company in the world that can build machines to make fashion chips is in the Netherlands, which means that no other country in the world, adding the United States or China, can make them if the Netherlands says no. The U. S. is investing heavily in chip production because it perceives the challenge of addiction, but it will be decades before they can be self-sufficient (something the U. K. rarely tries to do). Russia obtains them through the grey/black market. , however, from what we’re seeing on the front lines, they’re not. . . Read More »
Yep and why the EU, US and China are all investing big time in it as they see it as a major security issue and future growth limiter to their economies. In the meantime our government cut the funding in our own factory, go figure.
You’re not talking seriously? Ajax is necessarily still in progress as it is in the GTA procedure and then you possibly want to change it to reliability before mass production and the general problem. The cars are found in small numbers and are used in GTA and with cav and REME to enjoy the box and provide feedback to the Department of Defense and the manufacturer. As David said, our most productive sensors, optics and digitized features are in this vehicle, and some of them will be sensitive/classified. It would take a lot of time to exercise Ukrainian users and officials. We could. . . Read more »
I don’t know if UKRs will get more CVR(T), whether it’s scimitars or other types. We give them a maximum number.
Cv90 is a ifv, Ajax is a recon vehicle. Like comparing chalk and cheese.
Ajax replacing cvrt
The warriors replacement is where the cv90 should be
It’s worth remembering that this wasn’t a popular CV90.
But the only option we were contemplating was BAE’s FRES SV with many major modifications, adding a shorter hull. While we’re talking about when BAE’s “CV90-based solution” would have entered service, talking about other CV90-based cars only muddies things up.
There’s nothing in that link that supports your claim.
Just compare the pictures of the two and you’ll see that the hull and turret are different.
BAE’s proposal for the FRES SV festival (Scout variant) in 2009 was based on the CV90 hull. The Ministry of Defence did not buy it, but it has become a vehicle in service. . . in the Norwegian Army: the CV90 MkIIIb. It is in service: GDUK’s Ajax has had a lot of problems and is not well in service as it is still in RGT.
BAE introduced a technology demonstrator (TD) 15 years ago; It’s not the finished product, or even a prototype. What I meant is that BAE expanded a probably suitable reconnaissance variant that is now in service with some other army. and without any primary disorders reported along the way. Often, a concept study or TD turns into something very different. That’s expansion.
Better situational awareness, the Dutch upgrades feature an extendable electro-optical mast, while the Mk. IV has an integrated micro-UAS. Better firepower, the Dutch edition is supplied with Spike missiles, while the Mk. IV is supplied with the latest generation of Akeron anti-UAS. -Tank missile that can be used in lock-up mode after launch, with the drone locating the target. Both new editions of the CV90 are supplied with rubber tracks, reducing noise and vibration, among many other benefits. Less noise and vibration is for a stealth reconnaissance vehicle, considering that Ajax has a reputation for shaking like a dog, shitting and hurting people’s eardrums (seemingly fixed, thankfully). The two editions. . . Read More »
Forget about my post about the telescopic optical sensor. I didn’t see this component because of my phone.
Is it in service yet…
Have you heard of modularity? Mirkarva is a PPC. It is also used as an APC. Ajax is obese and so far?A lot of garbage. And expensive.
BAE offered a recce variant of CV90 some years ago pitched against GDUK’s offering. [Norway has 21 recce variants – CV90 Mk IIIb – one of the most advanced CV90 variants currently in service anywhere in Europe.
The Ministry of Defence decided on the GDUK’s proposal. I’d like to know why, but I suspect it has something to do with “jobs for Wales” and a silly argument with BAE.
Warrior should have been replaced by upgraded (WCSP) Warrior or CV90 IFV.
Yes, looking back is a smart thing to do. Ajax have been selected and will do what RAC needs them to do. We can’t keep bemoaning what we could/should/could achieve. The army needs it, and our SMEs here, like Ian M, need it in the vehicle and its functions. based on your own experience and contacts. That’s enough for me. The armored cavalry of the RAC will be on foot or as warriors if that fails. This will not be the case.
At the time of ion, the MOD had fallen out extensively with BAE. They seemed to be looking for anything unrelated to BAE.
After 10 years of collaboration with LM and GD, it turns out that the MOD has taken the opposite path.
??
Well, that’s the case so far. I’m not advocating getting rid of the BTW, I’m just saying that at least the assignment wasn’t turned in within the requested or even required timeframe.
Agreed.
BAE was in the bad books over nimrod, harrier support and some other projects. Along comes some other company that says we can do it all and has no bad projects as it’s a new company.
Note that even if a recognition variant of the CV90 existed at the time, if the BA wanted to install the same specialized apparatus used through the Ajax, there may still be integration and functionality issues, etc.
OMO is not. . . I’m going to get myself a coat.
No, Ajax is a fixed-term contract! So don’t overspend billions?
No overspending. Why do you do that?
The soy latte team calling for the show to be removed will have to be crying right now. . . . . ?
Good news, I hope the British military has a top-notch platform that will defeat the world.
????????? ??
I accept that I’m not an expert on the subject, but my opinion, especially based on old evidence, is that while the CV-90 (and others) are a constantly updated platform that is then available to acquire (even if modified accordingly), Ajax is such a completely rebuilt and repurposed platform that the only way to upgrade it is through a particularly expensive and probably long overdue upgrade program like C3 or Warrior et al. I’d be interested to hear from those who are much closer to the crisp end and the relative ramifications of those two approaches as to whether. . . Read More »
Are you sure about a variant of Redback’s popularity?
Why do stealth reconnaissance vehicles have to kill tanks?
Come on, Graham, you know as well as I do that stealth reconnaissance is rarely the only thing those cars want to do. Even when the formation reconnaissance doctrine was implemented, detection remained a chore, and now that we’ve moved on to more of a cavalry mission, I’d prefer the detection force to have some strength.
There is also a doctrinal shift towards reconnaissance through force, where the reconnaissance force itself is used to LOCK on while the commander maneuvers an ATTACK detail elsewhere. That’s why a lot more firepower has been added to the requirement.
GDUK demoed Brimstone ARES in the MOD.
Hi Bob, sorry for my reply! I had a few more thoughts.
When I served we had the core functions of FIND, FIX and STRIKE, and later EXPLOIT was added to be the 4th word/action. Recce did FIND, lead elements of the advancing troops following on behind recce did the FIX and other troops following a tactical bound back did the STRIKE.
That has changed uniquely for 1 DSRBCT. As you say Ajax in that bde does both FIND and FIX – and arty (or ‘fires’ as we must now say!) does the STRIKE.
AS21 Redback is a IFV. Ne the Ajax can be, a reconnaissance vehicle.
The Czechs spend $2. 2 billion on 250 CV90s, or six hundred vehicles, or about $5. 1 billion. That’s a little over £4 billion. Keep in mind that there are 7 versions that will come with the IFV for which we wouldn’t need the load. We’re ramping up, as we basically need popular versions which, of course, are more expensive. As far as I know, all CV 90s are made in Sweden, as are the jobs and taxes generated in the UK through Ajax. If we were to go to BAE and say we were looking for X amount of 90 hp, they. . . Read More »
Or did I say no? As for the IFV, we do, but it looks like we’ll be stuck with a Boxer edition if that happens.
My apologies for any misunderstanding. We’re stuck with Boxer replacing Warrior. Assuming you only have a machine gun and not a cannon, this is the end of the IFV era.
Not worth HNY ?
Two dismantled Ajax players have C17 compatibility. I read somewhere that it would take 6 Atlas to bring four Ajax. Four to send 1 dismantled vehicle each, then 2 more to ship the parts. The source was Jeremy Quin, then Minister of Defence.
You’re contradicting yourself. Can 1 C17 1 Ajax stripped or 2?
Ah, I didn’t see the C17/ Atlas switch, sorry
Interesante. Me gave this from a government newspaper. I should have known!
Yes. ?
I agree. I now back Ajax as that is being realistic. RGT will lead to great reliability. Need to get them into service asap. The on-board kit is presumably all good but there should have been a telescopic sensor mast.
I, too, would be interested to see this new doctrine; I only hope that the Boxer can prove to be a suitable choice for a tracked IFV fitted with a stabilized 40mm gun.
There is no doubt about the solution as it stands today. MoD announced in March 2021 that WCSP is scrapped, that Warrior would stay in service for a while without further modification, and would then be replaced by Boxer. In Dec 2020 it was announced that Kongsberg would supply their RWS PROTECTOR RS4 for the UK programme. RS4 is for MGs and GMGs, not cannons. However the army is supposedly looking at ways to increase the lethality of Boxer. [The RT-60 unmanned turret with a 30mm automatic cannon and two anti-tank missiles, was trialled in Norway in July 2023 for a… Read more »
Ha! It’s smart to know he’s gone, after he’s made a mess. Thank you. Merry Christmas, Paul.
Budget set aside for more than a thousand, apparently. One of the most expensive APCs in the world. With an MG on the roof. I’m sure it’s a very capable vehicle, but it needs weapons and is in the hands of the military as the default solution for the Warrior.
I agree. The DPA will be standard. It would be worth it even if other things don’t have a budget.
Oh, it’s true. . . So, do you have a couple that are running now?Just one question. . . what about Warrior vehicles?
Warrior is not knackered at all! It’s older yes, but its still a fast armoured vehicle.
Warrior has been going through normal rebuilding systems at Donnington, so he’s not as exhausted as his age suggests, 432 bulldogs are older. To extend the life of the rebuilding program, it would have to be restarted because it was canceled to save money.
Hi Tom. Warrior is being used in some Armoured Cavalry Regiments, as it has to, due to the delays with the Ajax program and the fact that the CVRT family that equipped those units have been discarded. Other wise, as Jacko says, it is an IFV that has not been a part of the RAC previously, only equipping Armoured Infantry Battalions and some with REME units. As you know, Ajax family replace the CVRT capability. Warrior was cancelled due to budget cuts and with too many programs happening simultaneously. Hence Boxer for all rather than Boxer with Strike and Warror… Read more »
I assume the CVRT weapons were not stabilized? I think Scimitar 2 may have continued until Ajax came into play. Much younger than the warrior. I think they were made for Afghanistan/Iraq. I hope everyone moves to Ukraine soon.
30mm RARDEN isn’t stabilised.
Digital concepts Engineering developed a low cost digital solution for the Rarden cannon .
For those of you who need to watch Ajax etc. be unleashed on the plain, head over to War Machine TV on YouTube, they’ve got some clever videos there!
Happy Crimble?
Good product!
I want to place export orders now
Shapps may not get 3% before the general election, probably not even 2. 5%.
Yes and no. The Ajax family replaces the CVRT family of vehicles that were primarily found in the RAC’s Armoured and Armoured Cavalry Regiments (Regs RCC) and other formations. Warrior has served in the infantry, in the armored infantry battalions, but is recently being used as an emergency stopgap in CAR’s reconnaissance regulations, as CVRT (Scimitar and the Spartan, Sultan, Samson, Samaritan) cars have been retired. From the CVRT family, Stormer remains.
It’s clear from the title that Ajax are capable of cornering, a skill that is actually a must-have regardless.
I watched a Youtube video of the “fixed” vehicle undergoing testing, it still seemed very gruff, excessively loud and not particularly stealthy considering it is intended for a reconnaissance and scouting role. Not sure it is particularly fixed. Lets see, get it into service and see if the servicemen living and fighting with the machine actually think it is OK or not.
umm – Do you have any interest in saying you love it?If not, they would probably wait much longer to find a suitable vehicle. I find it a bit concise when they “ask” service personnel what they think. . . Has anyone ever said “that’s a bag of”?. . . One way or another, I doubt it. I’m not saying that’s the case or not, I’m just saying that it’s kind of a forced conversation.