Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral contribution of the Commander of the Field Army during the meeting of the Defence Select Committee on 20 July 2021, what contingency plans his Department has developed in the event that Ajax does not come into service by 2025.

As both I and the Commander of the Field Army outlined on 20 July 2021, contingency planning is a constant process. Should there be a significant delay beyond the scheduled FOC, the Department will be able to mitigate any gap through a range of ground-mounted and alternative reconnaissance capabilities.