Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

What assessment has he made of the a) feasibility and b) potential merits of extending the out-of-service date of Warrior beyond 2027.

There are no plans to extend the out-of-service date for Warrior beyond 2027, and as such an extension is not under consideration. The focus remains on achieving the Strategic Defence Review's vision for a tenfold increase in British Army lethality over the next decade, with survivable and lethal platforms, such as armoured fighting vehicles, playing a central role alongside new layered systems of attritable and consumable platforms.

What will the training capacity shortfall be, and for how long, between the closure of ATR Winchester and opening of new facilities at ATR Pirbright.

There will be no shortfall in the training capacity between the closure of ATR Winchester and the opening of new facilities at ATR Pirbright. The Army has arranged for additional accommodation and other facilities to be made available for recruits at ATR Pirbright.

What progress has he made in identifying a replacement for FV433.

The Army’s FV433 self-propelled howitzer was replaced in the mid-1990s, by the AS90.

What assessment has he made of the quality of the a) workmanship and b) quality control on the Ajax production line at General Dynamics Merthyr Tydfil facility.

The Ajax programme has a Joint Acceptance Group; a collaborative team of British Army and General Dynamics Land Systems-UK personnel who work together to test, evaluate, and formally accept the new Ajax vehicles into service.

How many soldiers were hospitalised or received hearing-related injuries in relation to the Ajax programme since 23 July 2025.

Since 23 July 2025, centrally held electronic systems show fewer than five personnel have had a hospital admission recorded since their first use of Ajax. None of these were related to Ajax, hearing or vibration. In the same period, 27 personnel have had a hearing loss related read code entered into their electronic medical record since their first use of Ajax. However, the presence of read code does not imply either a long-term problem or that it has been caused by their use of Ajax. For any Service person their use of Ajax will be mixed with other potential sources of exposure. It is also possible that symptoms are not occupationally related.

What the project stages and timeline are for the Challenger 3 programme.

Challenger 3 is currently undergoing demonstration phase trials to prove the performance of the tanks. Manufacturing will begin once the tank's performance is proven, rather than being tied to a specific deadline. The project team will review the timeline regularly to ensure alignment with delivery milestones, operational needs, and emerging technical risks.

What is the planned deadline for commencing the manufacturing phase of Challenger 3.

Challenger 3 is currently undergoing demonstration phase trials to prove the performance of the tanks. Manufacturing will begin once the tank's performance is proven, rather than being tied to a specific deadline. The project team will review the timeline regularly to ensure alignment with delivery milestones, operational needs, and emerging technical risks.

Pursuant to the answer of 8th December 2025, to question 96358 on Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Procurement, a) how much money was spent and b) what specific work was completed under Project RARDEN in each of the past ten years.

There has been no money spent or specific work carried out under Project Rarden in the last ten years.

How many statements of requirements have been made by (a) Defence Equipment & Support, (b) Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and (c) the British Army on the Ajax programme since 2010.

The term ‘statements of requirements’ is not used by the Ajax programme and therefore it is not possible to answer the hon. Member’s question.

If he will publish the full scope of Project NYX.

Project NYX is a demonstrator to validate the concept of a Land Autonomous Collaborative Platform. Public information is available via the Defence Sourcing Portal, the Ministry of Defence’s tendering platform, and Find a Tender service. The competition for Project NYX began on 28 November 2025 with the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire release. The Invitation to Tender will be issued week of 12 January 2026 and close 27 February 2026. Completion will inform future procurement, with initial capability delivery expected from 2030. No decision has been made on platform numbers; these will depend on evolving strategies and requirements.

When the SG-1 Fathom will be brought into service.

Under Atlantic Bastion, announced in the Strategic Defence Review, the Royal Navy (RN) will be exploiting new technologies through a portfolio of crewed and uncrewed vehicles, sensors and nodes. Helsing, who make the SG-1 Fathom, conducted a technology demonstration for the RN in December 2025. The Royal Navy are running a competition for Atlantic Net, which is the first phase of Atlantic Bastion, and in full adherence to commercial regulation, will conduct a fair and transparent assessment against peer proposals ahead of any contract award.

What progress has he made in delivering the cobalt autonomy stack for the Royal Navy.

Under Atlantic Bastion, announced in the Strategic Defence Review, the Royal Navy will be exploiting new technologies through a portfolio of crewed and uncrewed vehicles, sensors and nodes. The Cobalt Autonomy Stack acts as an autonomy and mission control layer, sitting above a fleet of mixed assets and connecting their sensors and effectors. The Atlantic Bastion capability options submitted for consideration in the Defence Investment Plan include a blend of uncrewed systems, underwater payloads, options to increase lethality, and improvements to crewed platforms which are consistent with the transition to a Hybrid Navy.

If he will publish the full scope of the Royal Navy’s Atlantic Strike concept.

This Government remains firmly committed to the objectives set out in the Strategic Defence Review. The Royal Navy Warfighting Ready Plan 2029 provides an ambitious and strategic blueprint for how the Navy with strengthen and evolve its capabilities in line with the Strategic Defence Review, in order to fulfil its role to protect the nation and its interests at a time of growing maritime threat and technological advancement. Atlantic Shield and Strike form part of the Royal Navy Warfighting Ready Plan.Atlantic Shield and Atlantic Strike will drive significant transformation over the next four years, subject to resource allocation through the Defence Investment Plan.

If he will publish the full scope of the Royal Navy’s Atlantic Shield concept.

This Government remains firmly committed to the objectives set out in the Strategic Defence Review. The Royal Navy Warfighting Ready Plan 2029 provides an ambitious and strategic blueprint for how the Navy with strengthen and evolve its capabilities in line with the Strategic Defence Review, in order to fulfil its role to protect the nation and its interests at a time of growing maritime threat and technological advancement. Atlantic Shield and Strike form part of the Royal Navy Warfighting Ready Plan.Atlantic Shield and Atlantic Strike will drive significant transformation over the next four years, subject to resource allocation through the Defence Investment Plan.

With reference to the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth (CP 1388), page 85, what progress he has made in establishing a coordinating authority for market engagement within the National Armaments Director Group.

We have taken the first steps to deliver the Defence Industrial Strategy commitment to strengthen early engagement with industry and integrate market insight into force and capability development. The Market Engagement Coordinating Authority has been initiated within the National Armaments Director Group and is now in its development phase. Work is underway to build out its full capability, with Initial Operating Capability planned for Q1 2026. Once operational, the Authority will bring coherence and transparency to Defence’s engagement with industry, unify Defence’s demand signals and enable structured engagement earlier in the capability development cycle, giving suppliers confidence to invest and helping accelerate acquisition.

Between what dates has the Ajax programme previously been paused and for what reasons.

Issues of noise and vibration were recognised in mid-2020, with a stop notice issued in June 2021. All dynamic movement and transition activity was halted whilst the programme underwent a significant reset. The Army resumed training on Ajax in 2023 and paused later again in 2025.

What specific changes have been made by General Dynamics in the last five years to resolve issues related directly to noise and vibration identified with the Ajax programme prior to the declaration of Initial Operating Capability.

A significant and in-depth review of the platform was undertaken by a joint Authority and General Dynamics team in 2020 -2021 to confirm the causes of noise and vibration, identify solutions and validate them through extensive testing.The Ajax platforms were thoroughly assessed using a Noise and Vibration calculator (in line with Health and Safety Executive advice) to determine the safe operating envelopes for the platform across different speeds and terrains. Whole Body and Hand Arm Vibration levels were well understood, and effective mitigations were in place. Noise levels have been well documented, and an effective hearing protection and combined communication system has been implemented.Following this review several actions were taken to reduce crew exposure to noise and vibration.  These included:Improving overall Ajax build quality.Review and amendment of build tolerances for key crew interfaces such as seats and control handles.Changes to seat structures to provide greater vibration attenuation.Improvements to track tensioning procedures to ensure correct track tension which reduces vibration.

How many Ajax-platform vehicles, broken down by variant, had been delivered to the British Army as of 1st December 2025.

170 Ajax platforms have been delivered to Field Army Units up to and including 1 December 2025. The breakdown by variant is as follows: AJAX87ARES33ATHENA25ARGUS3APOLLO13ATLAS9

What element of Ajax Initial Operating Capability was declared by General Dynamics on 23 July 2025.

The Initial Operating Capability for the Ajax Programme was not declared by General Dynamics on 23 July 2025.

How many Challenger 2 tanks have now begun conversion to Challenger 3.

There are 285 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks in service in the British Army. The Ministry of Defence does not break down equipment numbers further due to operational sensitivity. Eight vehicles are allocated to Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) for the design, build and testing phase of Challenger 3 conversion. The manufacturing phase is yet to start.