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Defence & Security News - United Kingdom
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| The 100 first British Ajax armoured fighting vehicle will be built in Spain and enter in service in 2017 | ||||
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According to RT, the first 100 next-generation Ajax battle tanks earmarked for use by the British Army will be built in Spain with Swedish steel. It was reported on Monday May 8, that the first 100 Ajax vehicles will be produced in Spain to ensure that they are in service by 2017.
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Eventual production of the rest of the new tanks – the full complement is expected to be around 600 – will take place in Merthyr Tydfil, in Wales, as part of a projected £4.5 billon program.
The Ajax is meant to be the stalwart of Britain’s new rapid reaction strike brigades. A prototype was first test-fired in mid-April. There will be a number of variants including an engineering model and a field ambulance version. The Ajax program hit a snag in January after it emerged its sheer weight meant it had to be taken apart to put it on a plane, worrying for a vehicle meant to serve as the mainstay of a rapid-reaction force. A senior army source told the Daily Star in April: “We have the latest and best reconnaissance tank in the world but before we can deploy it we will need to stop and unbolt the armor,”. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) told RT Monday that the government was “determined to see as many MOD projects designed, built and manufactured here in the UK.” "The AJAX programme alone is sustaining 2,800 jobs across the country at more than 210 companies across the UK supply chain,” they added. |
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