<p>The British army’s new fleet of Ajax armoured vehicles was meant to be their new jewel in the crown: high tech machines for an army of the future. But after nearly a decade, and more than five billion pounds spent, the vehicles have been withdrawn after accusations they have caused life changing injuries to crews. Today, we hear from the ex-soldier who was once the head of testing these vehicles, speaking about his experience for the first time.</p><br><p><em>This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: </em><a href="http://thetimes.com/thestory" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>http://thetimes.com/thestory</em></a></p><br><p><strong>Guests:&nbsp;</strong></p><ul><li>Larisa Brown, defence editor, The Times.</li><li>Rob Page, ex-British Army lieutenant colonel in charge of the armoured trials and development unit, 2019-2021.</li></ul><p><strong>Host:</strong> Manveen Rana.</p><p><strong>Producer:</strong> Harry Stott.</p><p><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/army-ajax-injuries-whistleblower-nqkk9dh8n" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Army could have avoided Ajax vehicle injuries, says whistleblower</a></p><p><strong>Photo:</strong> Joshua Bratt for The Times</p><p><strong>Get in touch:</strong> <a href="mailto:thestory@thetimes.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">thestory@thetimes.com</a></p><p><em>This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism&nbsp;subscribe&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.thetimes.com/subscribe/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>here</em></a><em>.</em></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

The Story

The Times

‘It's not an injury, it's a disability’: the soldier blowing the whistle on the army’s Ajax vehicles

DEC 12, 202537 MIN
The Story

‘It's not an injury, it's a disability’: the soldier blowing the whistle on the army’s Ajax vehicles

DEC 12, 202537 MIN

Description

<p>The British army’s new fleet of Ajax armoured vehicles was meant to be their new jewel in the crown: high tech machines for an army of the future. But after nearly a decade, and more than five billion pounds spent, the vehicles have been withdrawn after accusations they have caused life changing injuries to crews. Today, we hear from the ex-soldier who was once the head of testing these vehicles, speaking about his experience for the first time.</p><br><p><em>This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: </em><a href="http://thetimes.com/thestory" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>http://thetimes.com/thestory</em></a></p><br><p><strong>Guests:&nbsp;</strong></p><ul><li>Larisa Brown, defence editor, The Times.</li><li>Rob Page, ex-British Army lieutenant colonel in charge of the armoured trials and development unit, 2019-2021.</li></ul><p><strong>Host:</strong> Manveen Rana.</p><p><strong>Producer:</strong> Harry Stott.</p><p><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/army-ajax-injuries-whistleblower-nqkk9dh8n" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Army could have avoided Ajax vehicle injuries, says whistleblower</a></p><p><strong>Photo:</strong> Joshua Bratt for The Times</p><p><strong>Get in touch:</strong> <a href="mailto:[email protected]" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[email protected]</a></p><p><em>This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism&nbsp;subscribe&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.thetimes.com/subscribe/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>here</em></a><em>.</em></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>