The UK’s Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) Ajax delivery team working with the British Army’s Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR) have put the Ajax Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) through its paces in sub-zero temperatures in Sweden.
During the trials Ajax, the British Army’s newest AFV, successfully illustrated its ability to operate in extreme cold weather and snow, with temperatures plummeting as low as -36 degrees Celsius, as well as firing on the move with accuracy. In doing so, HCR marked a significant milestone in becoming the first British Army crew to fire the Ajax weapon systems.
“It was great to work alongside our Army colleagues and industry who all have one common purpose, and that’s the end goal of delivering this exceptional platform to the Field Army”, said Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2) Paul Martin.
“It was an extremely challenging environment, but working as a group we were able to successfully deliver our objective of demonstrating that Ajax can travel long distances over snow-covered terrain, and fire on the move with great accuracy.”
“Ultimately, Ajax exceeded our expectations, and the exceptional work across the group saw us gather more data than expected, which will inform the wider team and help them understand exactly what this exciting platform can do.”
The Ajax AFV is equipped with state-of-the-art Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) technology and will provide deep reconnaissance and strike capabilities in contested battlespace. It is capable of operating in all weather conditions, and can rapidly locate and understand an adversary using its sophisticated sensor suite at an increased range.
Lieutenant Colonel James Glossop, the DE&S delivery team’s Operation and Army HQ liaison said: “It was very impressive to see Ajax perform in Sweden. I was lucky enough to see the platforms fire during a snowstorm and use its sighting systems to identify, engage and hit targets that were simply unable to be seen by the naked eye. It was incredibly impressive, and a reminder of the competitive edge this armoured vehicle will bring the British Army.”
The Ajax programme aims to supply a fleet of 589 fully digitized Ajax platforms, in six variants, through a contract with General Dynamics Land Systems (UK).
