Exclusive: Soldiers facing medical discharge over Ajax injuries despite minister's safety claims
Three members of the Household Cavalry Regiment are facing medical discharge due to injuries sustained since the introduction of Ajax at the unit, BFBS Forces News understands.
The news comes just two weeks after Defence Readiness & Industry Minister Luke Pollard insisted issues surrounding noise and vibration had now been fixed.
Ajax – the British Army's new £5.5bn armoured fighting vehicle – achieved its initial operating capability (IOC) status earlier this month, a milestone given the years of well-documented problems that marred its introduction into service.
Concerns downplayed
Speaking at a press event to mark Ajax's IOC status, Mr Pollard downplayed concerns over health risks associated with serving on the vehicle.
In an interview with BFBS Forces News reporter Sofie Cacoyannis the minister said the Government would not be giving IOC status to "any platform that we did not think was safe for the men and women of our forces to use".
But his remarks prompted personnel closely involved in the programme – and its rollout across the Royal Armoured Corps – to come forward, alleging that injuries are still occurring.
The MOD did not deny the information BFBS Forces News received.
Ajax has been billed as the most advanced medium-sized armoured fighting vehicle in the world, but its rollout across the Army has been beset by problems, contributing to an eight-year delay entering service.
During trials, Ajax was found to produce excessive noise and vibration, leading to health impacts on soldiers operating the vehicle.
In 2021, BFBS Forces News reported that five soldiers involved in those trials had either been medically discharged or downgraded, and more than 200 personnel had been contacted for urgent hearing assessments.
Is it safe?
Now, sources within the Household Cavalry Regiment say three of their colleagues are facing losing their jobs in the Army due to health problems which the sources said were related to Ajax. We understand the injuries are related to vibration.
MOD sources have informed BFBS Forces News that the process of a medical discharge does not consider why symptoms started in the first place, so it may never be possible to know for sure if Ajax has caused someone to leave the military that way.
Decades of service
Ajax is the first armoured vehicle in nearly 30 years to be granted IOC and is intended to remain in service for several decades.
Regiments to have taken receipt of a fleet of Ajax and its variants, alongside the Household Cavalry Regiment, include the Queen's Royal Hussars, the Royal Lancers and training units including the Combat Manoeuvre Centre in Bovington.
The developments come at a sensitive time for the Ajax programme, with the Army pressing ahead with its long-delayed rollout.
The cases emerging at the Household Cavalry Regiment suggest a gap between official confidence in the platform and the lived experience of soldiers operating it.
The MOD responds
An MOD spokesperson said: "Safety of our personnel is a top priority, and while all armoured vehicles produce noise and vibration, Ajax is safe and noise and vibration levels to do not exceed statutory limits.
"Ajax has also been through rigorous trials and an assured safety process, including with the Health and Safety Executive, with the evidence showing it is safe to operate.
"Crews are directed to stop activity and report any situations where they feel noise or vibration levels are excessive.
"Medical discharges are not attributed to individual vehicles or pieces of equipment."
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