Ajax armoured fighting vehicle programme has 'turned a corner', minister says

Appearing before the Commons Defence Committee, defence procurement minister Alex Chalk has said that the British Army's Ajax armoured fighting vehicle programme has now 'turned a corner'.

The decade-long programme has previously been plagued with problems, including soldiers being medically discharged from service because of noise exposure and hearing loss during Ajax trials.

Probing senior military leaders responsible for the programme, Conservative MP Mark Francois asked: "Sorry, so 10 years and four billion pounds on, you still can't tell us when it is going to enter service? Just give us a date, can any of you give us a date?"

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During the meeting, Alex Chalk defended the programme's progress, saying production lines are "running hot" and "it's all going ahead" as planned.