Army’s new £3.5bn tank fleet ‘can’t travel faster than 20mph safely’

Problems with Ajax armoured fighting vehicles include not being able to fire cannons while moving

Report says speed restrictions had been caused by excessive vibrations in the Ajax tanks and that crews were limited to 90 minutes inside them at a time (Ministry of Defence)

The army was forced to pause trials of its new £3.47bn fleet of tanks over design issues, which reportedly left them unable to travel safely faster than 20 miles per hour.

Problems with the new Ajax armoured fighting vehicles - which are supposed reach speeds of 40mph - also include not being able to fire cannons on the move, the Daily Telegraph reports.

The paper cited a government report saying the speed restrictions had been caused by excessive vibrations in the tanks and that crews were limited to 90 minutes inside them at a time.

The report, due to be published next month, says the tanks cannot reverse over obstacles more than 20 centimetres high, that personnel must wear noise-cancelling headphones when operating them and undergo ear tests afterwards, and that the Household Cavalry Regiment "cannot conduct effective collective training" in them.

The MoD decided to bring in a new range of tanks in 2010, with 589 vehicles across a range of models ordered in 2014.

But the programme has been plagued by problems and is four years behind schedule, the Telegraph said, adding only 14 of the turretless Ares model tanks, made by US firm General Dynamics, had been delivered.

The MoD said in a statement its training on "Ajax variants" had now recommenced "with appropriate safety measures in place".

"We are committed to the Ajax programme which will form a key component in the Army's modernised warfighting division, with current plans for Initial Operating Capability scheduled for summer 2021," a spokesperson said.

"The MoD can confirm that some training on the Ajax family of vehicles was paused as a precautionary measure.

"This is a normal measure for the demonstration phase of projects; an investigation, incorporating trials, is being carried out jointly with the manufacturer. It is inappropriate for us to comment further at this time.

"The health and safety of our personnel is of the utmost importance and we are committed to providing a safe working environment."