Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Boxer armoured vehicles his Department has ordered; and what proportion of those vehicles are fully funded.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
As of 1 December 2022, 623 Boxer armoured vehicles have been ordered, all of which are fully funded.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the 26 armoured vehicles delivered to the Army.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Department has received 26 vehicles at Capability Drop 1 standard. Whilst these vehicles are, as intended, adequate for training and familiarisation, they remain under limited use while we work to resolve the noise and vibration issues with General Dynamics.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of procuring a wider variety of Boxer armoured vehicle modules with turreted options similar to those employed by Lithuania and Australia.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Army is conducting further ongoing operational analysis, lethality and survivability studies, which includes examining turreted options. As I wrote to my right hon. Friend recently , potential uplifts including new variants are being explored on a longer term and more strategic basis with allies and industry in line with the land industrial strategy. Any potential future upgrades would of course be threat informed and in line with how the Army will fight under Future Soldier.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which senior officer on the Executive Committee of the Army Board is responsible for the procurement of Armoured Fighting Vehicles, including the Ajax AFV programme; and how long that individual has been in post.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Deputy Chief of the General Staff (DCGS) leads the Army Portfolio Office, providing central coherence and guidance for all programmes in the Army. Lieutenant General Sir Christopher Tickell has held the role of DCGS Since August 2019.
As Director General Land in Defence Equipment & Support, Chris Bushell is a member of the Executive Committee of the Army Board and is the senior official responsible for providing procurement expertise. He took up post in December 2019.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of the prospective foreign military sales option for the Oshkosh Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Following the outcome of the Integrated Review, the Army is reviewing its wider vehicle requirements including the way forward for the procurement of MRVP-Package 1, for which the Oshkosh-manufactured Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) as a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) acquisition is the current solution. That consideration will encompass all aspects of the procurement to ensure consistency with the latest strategic direction and evolving marketplace.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, through which legal mechanism the Ajax IFV contract has been signed.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The AJAX contract was placed under competition, following Ministry of Defence policy and EU procurement regulations prevalent at the time. The contract is subject to English Law.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the in-service date of Ajax armoured vehicles.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Army currently plans on an AJAX Initial Operating Capability of 30 Jun 2021.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential future requirement for an armoured infantry fighting vehicle capability that can operate (a) in high threat combat environments and (b) with main battle tanks.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Regular analysis conducted by the Army has confirmed the requirement for armoured vehicles that can work together in high threat combat environments. This analysis has formed part of the evidence base for the Integrated Review.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of whether changes are required for the armoured fighting vehicle capability in order to maintain the UK's contribution to NATO’s conventional deterrence tasks.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
A variety of measures to modernise our armoured vehicle capabilities are being considered through the Integrated Review, which will enable the UK to continue to deliver a credible and highly effective armoured capability to NATO's conventional deterrence tasks over the coming decades.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has for a Land Industrial Strategy, including the role of armoured vehicle and turret manufacturing and production in that strategy.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is leading a cross-Government review into the UK's defence and security industrial sectors which seeks to identify how we can enhance our strategic approach to ensure we have competitive, innovative and world-class defence and security industries.
As part of this review, the MOD is considering its approach to the land sector including armoured vehicles and sub-systems. The review is ongoing, and its findings are being used to inform the Government's broader Integrated Review, the conclusions of which will be announced in the coming months.