Key Points
- A senior General Dynamics UK worker publicly claimed that the majority issues with the British Army’s Ajax car stem from crew error, poor upkeep, and command choices.
- The remarks appeared on Facebook and LinkedIn amid renewed studies of listening to accidents and vibration points which have prompted a brand new ministerial evaluate.
A senior worker of General Dynamics UK has come beneath scrutiny after publicly suggesting that British Army crews are partly accountable for the continued issues with the Ajax armored car program.
According to a report by the UK Defence Journal, the person—who identifies as an Acceptance Manager and beforehand served as Ajax Trials Manager—posted feedback on the general public “FillYourBoots” Facebook web page, claiming that the majority points raised throughout area use stem from person error, poor upkeep, and management choices fairly than {hardware} flaws.
The put up was made throughout an open dialogue about continued considerations with Ajax, which has confronted years of setbacks over crew security, vibration accidents, and system efficiency. “Aside from coolant leaks, the remainder are crew error, poor upkeep, and dangerous command choices,” the worker wrote, addressing public complaints from troopers and take a look at groups.
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Separate remarks from the identical particular person have been additionally revealed on LinkedIn, the place he responded to posts about reported listening to harm and illness amongst crews. “Some of the reporting on this program could be very poor,” he said. “I’m not going to touch upon specifics till the complete info can be found, however I imagine within the car and its functionality.” He additionally criticized individuals “with no publicity to the car” for spreading misinformation.
The change got here after renewed parliamentary consideration earlier this yr, when troopers reportedly suffered listening to harm throughout use of Ajax, contradicting earlier Ministry of Defence assurances that the car was protected. In November, the UK Ministry of Defence declared Initial Operating Capability (IOC) for Ajax after receiving written affirmation from senior Army and acquisition officers that the system met security requirements.
Defence Minister Luke Pollard addressed Parliament following these studies, stating, “Ajax was demonstrably protected to function on the time IOC was authorized,” and that the choice was made primarily based on formal assurances.
However, extra evaluate exercise is now underway. The Ministry of Defence has introduced a ministerial-led inquiry into how earlier security suggestions have been applied. That evaluate is being carried out by unbiased consultants, together with Malcolm Chalmers, and can report on to the Defence Secretary.
The worker’s social media profiles present intensive involvement with General Dynamics Land Systems, together with roles immediately associated to acceptance testing and reliability trials of the Ajax car. His remarks appeared in threads with a whole lot of feedback from navy personnel and observers discussing this system’s troubled improvement.
At the time of publication, General Dynamics UK had not responded to requests for remark concerning whether or not it helps or distances itself from the worker’s remarks.
