http://www.howitworksdaily.com HowIt Works 079
DID YOU KNOW? The Ajax’ seats are fixed to the roof instead of the floor to make them mine-blast resistant
S
oldiers have to be quick thinkers,
processing data and analysingsituations
asthey play out before comingtoan
informedandtactical decision. Distributed
acrossa fleet of separate armouredvehicles,
crucialinformation needs to besharedas
effectively as possible. Now thereisa new
family of vehicles aiming tomakethese
processes easier and more efficient
during missions: the Ajaxfamily.
Described as the eyesandearsof
the British A rmy, the Ajax
armoured fighting vehicles(AFVs)
are the first to be fully digitalised.
Showing confidence intheir
performance, the new vehicleshave
been ordered as a replacementto
the CVR(T) (Combat Vehicle
Reconnaissance (Tracked)).While
itsarmour is much heavier,Ajaxcan
maintainsimilar speeds to the CVR(T)fleet,
giv ingthema greater power-to-weightratio.
CorporalClunn, who is working on theAjax
programme,describes the experienceofdriv ing
Ajaxas“likeno other”.
“Youplacea demand on the steeringandit
followsyourdirection,” Clunn says.“Youhitthe
breaksandthe full weight of the vehiclecomes
toa stop.Itfeels like you are indestructible.”
Perhapsthe most groundbreakingfeature,
however,isits digital technolog y, bringingarmy
vehiclesintothe 21st century with theall-
weatherintelligence and surveillancesystems.
Integratedwith Electronic Architecture,they
candetectthreats v isually and acoustically,Meet the Ajax, a new family of smart
army vehiclesformodernbattlefields
21ST-CENTURY
ARMOURED
VEHICLES
DIGITAL
instantlyrespondingandactingonthese
findingsfarquickerthana humancould process.
Ajax’sdigitalsoftwareisthenableto
communicatecriticaldatatoothervehicles,
makingarmymissionssmootherand more
efficient.Digitalmapscanbeeditedwithin Ajax
vehiclesandsharedacrossa wholebattlegroup
ina matterofseconds.
ThesixAjaxvariantsarebeingproduced by
UKcompanyGeneralDy namics,who are based
inSouthWales.WhileeachoftheAjax variants
differsslightlyincomponentsandprimary roles,
theyallsharethecorepropertiesand allow all
operationstotakeplacefromwithin the armour.
Inthefuturetheinnovativenewsoft ware has
theabilit ytocontinuouslyimproveas digital
technologyadvances– evenoncethe vehicles
arebuilt.Workingina similarfashion to a
smartphoneappupdate,theplatform’s internal
datacanbeupdatedandwidelydistributed.Words by Ailsa HarveyInside General Dynamic’s warehouse,
where the tanks are put together© General DynamicsAjax’s maximum weight is around 20
times that of your average car.
42 tonnes
Ajax can travel three
times faster than a running bull.71 kph