Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2026, to question 107516 on Ajax Vehicles: Procurement, what the next milestone is in the Ajax programme that will trigger a payment as part of contractual obligations.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
There is £1.1bn remaining to be paid to General Dynamics Land Systems UK in line with contractual obligations. I am unable to publish the details of the milestone payment plan as this may prejudice my Department's commercial interests.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2026, to question 107516 on Ajax Vehicles: Procurement, how much remains to be paid to General Dynamics under contractual obligations for the Ajax programme; and in how many instalments.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I am unable to publish the details of the General Dynamics Land Systems UK milestone payment plan as this may prejudice my Department's commercial interests.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what is the total cost of facility time in the latest period for which reporting is available, across all Government bodies, broken down by body; and where that cost is paid by the public purse.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The most recent public-sector trade union facility time data, including the total cost of facility time broken down by Government body, for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 is published here on .gov.uk.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will set out the full scope of Commercial-X.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Commercial X, established by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in 2022, is a team of Commercial officers dedicated to disrupting and modernising Defence’s approach to acquisition while reducing bureaucracy. Its mission is to deliver groundbreaking technology and innovation to the MOD more quickly. It achieves this through three key approaches:
Notable deliverables to date: delivery of circa 650 innovation and technology contracts with an average time to contract of 31 days, 47% faster than average timelines for similar procurements. The creation of two new platforms to support small, business-friendly buying routes where suppliers can compete for contracts in technology and innovation. Recent notable contracts include: DragonFire, Hypersonics and NATO Allied Underwater Battlespace,
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2026, to question 107234 on Ajax Vehicles: Procurement, by when will he have upgraded all Ajax-family vehicles at a) CD1 and b) CD2 to CD3 or above.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
A. The final planned Capability Drop 1 to Capability Drop 3 upgrades are expected to be complete in October 2028
B. The final planned Capability Drop 2 to Capability Drop 3 upgrades are expected to be complete in July 2028
As the Hon Gentleman will know there are a series of reviews in place in connection with Ajax that will inform decisions on Ajax that will be included in the DIP. I will notify the House when I have an update.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what was the role of the Permanent Secretary in the delivery of the Ajax programme since 23 July 2025.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As with all major defence programmes, including Ajax, the role of the Permanent Secretary as the Departmental Accounting Officer, is to ensure the proper management of defence funds, ensuring regularity and propriety.
Regarding the Army’s Ajax programme, that oversight has been brought to bear at critical programme milestones.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2026 to Question 106285 on Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Decommissioning, what progress he has made in replacing the (a) Fuchs vehicle and (b) Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) capability.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Options to replace the Fuchs vehicle are being explored as part of the Land Mobility Programme, within the Heavy Protected Mobility sub-programme.
The Heavy Protected Mobility sub-programme is in its Concept Phase and is currently evaluating the Finnish led Common Armoured Vehicles System (CAVS) Programme's suitability in meeting UK's Heavy Protected Mobility requirements. All decisions are subject to the outcome of the Defence Investment Plan.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2026 to question 106285 on Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Decommissioning, what progress he has made on procuring a CBRN capable replacement for the Fuchs CBRN platform.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Options to replace the Fuchs vehicle are being explored as part of the Land Mobility Programme, within the Heavy Protected Mobility sub-programme.
The Heavy Protected Mobility sub-programme is in its Concept Phase and is currently evaluating the Finnish led Common Armoured Vehicles System (CAVS) Programme's suitability in meeting UK's Heavy Protected Mobility requirements. All decisions are subject to the outcome of the Defence Investment Plan.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2026, to question 106072 on Ajax Vehicles: Procurement, what assessment has he made of the potential impact of the issue raised in the post-exercise report for Exercise Scorpion Cyclone that highlighted concerns that the fuel consumption of the vehicle is 16 litres per hour and is unsustainable for deep recce.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Ajax Vehicle range and fuel consumption continue to be proved through trials and exercises. Data to date supports the vehicle being fit for a deep reconnaissance role.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement on Ajax, published on 22 January 2026, by when will he publish the Defence Accident Investigation Branch triage report.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Defence Accident Investigation Branch (DAIB) triage reports are internal documents and are not published. Triage reports provide the initial detail gathered immediately following an incident as understood at that time.
Investigations into Ajax remain ongoing, and time must be given to ensure that all information and evidence is considered. I will continue to keep the house informed of developments as I have done since the issue arose on Exercise Titan Storm.