Ajax BMP
The Ajax reconnaissance vehicle developed by General Dynamics for the British Army revealed serious technical problems that directly affect the health of the crew members.
Seven years ago, the British Ministry of Defense signed a contract with General Dynamics in the amount of 7.5 billion dollars for the construction of 589 armored vehicles of various types based on a single chassis. Most of them (245) are "Ajax". "Ajax" is designed to search for and detect the enemy and to destroy his reconnaissance vehicles. For this purpose, it is equipped with electron-optical sensors and acoustic detectors. Its armament is a 40-mm cannon, firing new lightweight hull ammunition, and a 7.62-mm machine gun.
Ajax BMP
However, this is clearly not enough to fight against tanks, against which its weak armor is also defenseless. In addition, significant shortcomings were revealed in the early production vehicles that affect the health of combat crews, which forced the command of the British Army to suspend testing last autumn. The noise and vibration inside the car were so strong that they caused hearing problems, swelling and nausea in the soldiers. As reported by the Sun, the situation was not saved even by special headphones with a noise reduction function. Problems with the suspension were also revealed: the Ajax hardly overcomes obstacles 20 cm high, and the shaking on the move interferes with the targeted shooting from a 40-mm cannon. As a result, it was necessary to limit the time of the crews ' stay in the car to 105 minutes, and its speed to 32 km / h. However, General Dynamics strongly disagrees with such serious claims of the British army, where, despite everything, they are confident in the capabilities of their offspring. The problem is that a lot of money has already been paid for Ajax, and it will be very difficult to replace it in a short time.
