The Army's £6.3 billion Ajax armoured vehicle could be poisoning troops with toxic carbon monoxide fumes, according to the Mail on Sunday. In November 2023, 33 soldiers operating 23 different vehicles began suffering symptoms including nausea, vomiting, numbness, hearing loss, muscle pain and pins and needles during exercise Titan Storm.
A team of army safety inspectors concluded there is no single cause for the crisis, but that Ajax is beset by a 'multi-factor combination' of problems including faulty headsets, mechanical defects, possible missing air filters and leaks, according to the Mail on Sunday. Inspectors identified problems with the vehicles' tracks, loose or missing 'engine deck bolts' and unreliable power units, the Mail on Sunday reported. Faulty communication headsets and configuration errors were 'likely contributors to noise injury symptoms', according to the inspectors. Possible missing filters, leaks and incorrect hatch states may have caused conditions for exposure to carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide fumes, the Mail on Sunday said. The soldiers' symptoms were 'consistent' with exposure to carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, the inspectors said. The interaction of multiple factors may create conditions in which personnel experience symptoms of ill health, according to the Mail on Sunday.
a ridiculous project
The Army is due to receive 589 Ajax vehicles, according to the Mail on Sunday. The first 40-ton vehicles should have entered service in 2017 but have been plagued by problems, the Mail on Sunday reported. Former defence secretary Ben Wallace called Ajax 'a ridiculous project', according to Daily Mail - Home. Early trials were suspended after troops suffered hearing damage, with 310 soldiers needing assessments, the Mail on Sunday said. When maintained and operated properly, Ajax is not unsafe, according to the inspectors.