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Ajax Vehicles: Procurement

Asked by Wendy MortonConservativeMinistry of DefenceTabled Answered 24 June 2026UIN 10141

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the total lifetime cost of the Ajax armoured vehicle programme; what additional funding has been approved since the original contract was signed; and what assessment he has made of the potential implications of delays to the programme for Army readiness.

Answered by Luke Pollard

Like all defence platforms, Ajax requires a continuous in-service support solution. Definition and agreement of this is ongoing, so it is not possible to provide an updated Whole Life Cost at this point. The Approved Budgetary Limit (ABL) for the Armoured Cavalry Programme (Ajax) is £6.3 billion. This is unchanged since 2015. The Armed Forces are assessed as having the readiness required to meet current operational commitments. This is regularly re-evaluated against programme delivery performance.

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