Army's Ajax contract revised by MOD to improve delivery of armoured vehicle programme

The Ministry of Defence says it has revised its contract with the manufacturer responsible for the British Army's delayed and over-budget Ajax armoured fighting vehicle.

The £5.5bn Ajax programme has faced a considerable amount of challenges and scrutiny in the past, becoming the well-documented "problem children of British procurement".

Originally intended to enter service in 2017, Ajax has been repeatedly delayed, with problems including noise and vibration issues, which saw some soldiers being medically discharged because of hearing loss during its trials.

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Responding to written questions, Defence Procurement Minister James Cartlidge said that "as a result of revised contractual terms with MOD, General Dynamics UK have introduced a number of measures designed to improve the delivery rate".

Mr Cartlidge went on to say the new agreement includes "extending the current shift patterns and building contingency throughout the production schedule".

The revised contract will also include a plan to optimise the "build line to balance activity and recruitment of additional resource", which the MOD hopes will help "anticipate potential pinch points in the schedule".

It will also increase "collaborative practices, such as the introduction of joint acceptance," to reduce any further delays.

Ajax is currently in the "demonstration and manufacture" phases of its life cycle.

Elsewhere, the Ministry of Defence has unveiled a new procurement system that it says will vastly speed up the time it takes to provide new equipment.