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Britain's £6B armoured sickener Ajax cleared for duty despite injuring troops

go.theregister.com·Dan Robinson·6 months ago
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Britain's notorious Ajax armored vehicles are being accepted back from the manufacturer after investigations found no single cause for the symptoms plaguing crews, meaning soldiers will need to grin and bear it.

The tracked reconnaissance vehicle was effectively grounded in February , after repeated instances of crew members reporting ill after training. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) took the unusual step of withdrawing its initial operating capability (IOC) status pending closer inspection.

The results are in and they're less than satisfying. In a written statement to Parliament, Luke Pollard MP, the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, said the Army Safety Investigation Team (ASIT) found no single causal mechanism, just a combination of minor-sounding factors, some of which implicate the troops themselves.

Noise and vibration levels were reportedly below legal limits and the analysis blames multiple factors: incorrect track tension, loose or missing engine deck bolts, and "environmental and…

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