In the latest setback for the troubled programme, some military personnel are being medically treated for noise and vibration issues.
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been forced to suspend the use of the British Army’s Ajax armoured vehicle after personnel reported symptoms of excessive noise and vibration during exercises over the weekend.
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Widely reported by UK media on 25 November 2025, the move to suspend the use of Ajax comes just days after the troubled programme announced it had reached initial operating capability (IOC) with the British Army.
According to a UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson, a “small number of soldiers” reported noise and vibration during the exercise, which was immediately stopped and all personnel medically tested, revealing 30 presenting symptoms.
“That (sic) vast majority of these have now been medically cleared and are continuing on duty. A small number of personnel continue to receive expert medical care,” the spokesperson said.
The pause in Ajax was requested by UK Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard, with the fleet now not permitted to be used for training or exercises for a fortnight while a safety investigation is carried out.
A small amount of testing will continue on Ajax in a bid to determine the cause of the noise and vibration symptoms.
Callum Kaye, defence analyst at GlobalData, said Ajax was of “critical importance” to current British Army doctrine, intended to form the armoured cavalry element under the 3rd Deep Strike Reconnaissance Strike Brigade.
“While at least an interim form of soundproofing could be implemented relatively quickly, persistent operational problems could see the brigade unable to carry out reconnaissance in force missions.
“In turn, this could inhibit the accuracy of precision fires missions carried out by the brigade’s M270s and significantly reduce the combat effectiveness of the armoured brigades under the army’s 3rd Division,” Kaye detailed.
The UK’s Ajax armoured vehicle programme, intended to deliver 589 units across multiple different variants to the British Army, has been plagued by excessive noise and vibration issues during its development, with the programme previously halted for extended periods and dozens of personnel requiring medical treatment.
The fact that the latest pause has come just days after the platforms reached its IOC with the British Army will be a significant embarrassment for the UK Government, which is struggling to turn around a British Army that is at its weakest for generations with a near-total lack of 155mm artillery, huge gaps in capability, and obsolete equipment.
Previous vibration problems with the Ajax fleet saw personnel advised by the British Army to wear double ear protection, among other measures intended to reduce medical problems for crews.
Ahead of the recent Ajax IOC announcement, the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry specifically asked for, and was given, senior assurances on the safety of Ajax.
The Ajax fleet is a key element to the restructure of the British Army, with the first prototype vehicle unveiled in 2015.
The UK MoD placed a £3.5bn ($5.56bn) order for 589 Ajax vehicles in six variants in September 2014, although the programme, earlier described as a military-off-the-shelf vehicle, has its origins from the late-2000s in the Scout SV programme.
In March 2010 General Dynamics UK was selected as preferred bidder against the BAE Systems CV90, and later that same year MoD awarded a £500m ($780m) contract to GDUK for prototype development, based on the Spanish ASCOD armoured vehicle.
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