MINISTRY OF DEAF-ENCE – British Army’s new £5.5BILLION Tanks are Still Making Soldiers Sick and Deaf Despite Government Promises
By Jerome Starkey, Defence Editor
Crews suffered nausea, swollen joints and tinnitus from the din and vibrations inside the Ajax armoured vehicles.
THE Army’s new £5.5bn tank is still making soldiers sick and deaf – despite government promises its problems have been fixed.
Troops who trained in new Ajax vehicles were left needing hospital treatment this summer.
New tanks which cost the Army £5.5billion were grounded after making troops sick and damaging their hearing
They reported noise and vibration injuries weeks before the government declared the recce tank was fit for service.
Some suffered injuries caused by vibrations, similar to “white finger” which afflicts workers using pneumatic tools, sources told The Sun.
One said: “It is worse than white finger because it is the soldier’s whole body that is affected because they are inside the vehicle.”
Others described hearing problems which were thought to be caused by noise transmitted through their headsets.
Defence officials confirmed that “a small number of soldiers reported noise and vibration concerns”.
But they claimed an Army safety probe found “no systemic issues”.
It is the latest blow to the troubled programme which is running eight years late.
The Sun exclusively revealed that Ajax was making troops sick and deaf in May 2021.
It triggered two year long stand-off where defence chiefs halted payments and and refused to accept new vehicles from Ajax’s makers General Dynamics.
Defence readiness minister Luke Pollard insisted this week that Ajax “had left its problems behind”.
He insisted: “Those issues are firmly in the past.”
He was grilled on noise and vibration problems during a visit to the Ajax factory at Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales.
He insisted: “We would not be putting it in the hands of our armed forces, if it were not safe.
“I have been reassured from the top of the Army down to the folks that work on the platform that it is safe, and those lessons have been learned.”
Around nine soldiers were hospitalised during the drills led by the Household Cavalry regiment, which is the first Army unit to operate an Ajax squadron.
Pollard insisted Ajax was “the most advanced armoured fighting vehicle in the world”.
The Army is due to get 589 Ajax vehicles which cost around £10 million each.
They include Ares troop carrying versions and Athena mobile headquarters.
All three were involved in the exercise that led to casualties this summer.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson insisted: “Safety of our personnel is a top priority.”
They added: “Ajax has been through rigorous trials and an assured safety process, and the evidence shows it is safe to operate.
“Where concerns were raised over the summer, these were investigated by a safety team and no systemic issues were found.
“All armoured vehicles produce noise and vibration – we continue to ensure these do not exceed statutory limits.”
It comes amid claims defence chiefs ignored safety fears over Sea King helicopters which have led to pilots and crew dying from rares cancers.
