Ajax facility inaugurated in Wales

General Dynamics Land Systems-UK has inaugurated its new Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) Assembly, Integration and Testing (AIT) facility at Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, from where it will support the delivery of Ajax vehicles to the British Army.

The facility – a disused forklift truck factory – will undergo significant refurbishment through 2016 and become fully operational in 2017. 

The Ajax vehicles will be assembled, integrated and tested at the new facility. The first vehicle is expected to be completed in 2018, with the first army units to receive the vehicle equipped by mid-2019 and ready to deploy from the end of 2020.

The British Army is to receive 589 Ajax vehicles in six variants to replace the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked). Ajax will form a central component of the UK’s new Strike Brigades announced in the Strategic Defence and Spending Review at the end of 2015. 

Philip Dunne, Minister for Defence Procurement, said: ‘The opening of this new facility is a major development for both Merthyr Tydfil and the British Army. It is another reminder of the importance of defence investment right across the UK: the Ajax programme alone is sustaining 2,800 jobs across the country, 550 of which are here in Wales. 

‘This new facility, like the next generation vehicle it will produce, is more evidence of our £178 billion commitment to provide our armed forces with the equipment they need. Thanks to the close partnership between the UK government and industry, this site will spring back in to life as a significant centre of employment and bring in valuable skills with a lasting legacy for the entire region.’

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