Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what specific changes have been made by General Dynamics in the last five years to resolve issues related directly to noise and vibration identified with the Ajax programme prior to the declaration of Initial Operating Capability.

A significant and in-depth review of the platform was undertaken by a joint Authority and General Dynamics team in 2020 -2021 to confirm the causes of noise and vibration, identify solutions and validate them through extensive testing.

The Ajax platforms were thoroughly assessed using a Noise and Vibration calculator (in line with Health and Safety Executive advice) to determine the safe operating envelopes for the platform across different speeds and terrains. Whole Body and Hand Arm Vibration levels were well understood, and effective mitigations were in place. Noise levels have been well documented, and an effective hearing protection and combined communication system has been implemented.

Following this review several actions were taken to reduce crew exposure to noise and vibration.  These included:

• Improving overall Ajax build quality.
• Review and amendment of build tolerances for key crew interfaces such as seats and control handles.
• Changes to seat structures to provide greater vibration attenuation.
• Improvements to track tensioning procedures to ensure correct track tension which reduces vibration.