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- This is Jaroslaw
Adamowski with Defense News.

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I'm here today at the DSEI show in London

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with Scott Milne from General
Dynamics Land Systems UK,

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and we are here to talk
about the new Ajax variant,

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the IFV version of the vehicle,

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and what it brings to the table

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in terms of new features and capabilities.

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Scott, could you please tell me

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what are the main features
of the Ajax IFV version?

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- Okay, absolutely,

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so Ajax IFV is the missing
variant from the Ajax family.

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So we've delivered 147 vehicles of Ajax

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into the British Army,

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and now we're looking to the future,

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and we've developed the Ajax IFV,

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which is what we're looking at today.

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So the Ajax IFV,

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the main changes and the improvement,

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different features compared
to the current family,

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is the IFV is designed around
the crew, the dismounts.

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So the vehicle can
accommodate eight dismounts

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with a crew of three.

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So that's a driver, a
commander, and a gunner.

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We've changed the rear door.

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It's a ramp door

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to enable easy ingress and
egress from the vehicle.

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And we've integrated a remote turret.

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So it's a turret from Lockheed Martin,

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which is based on the
current Ajax turret design.

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It's a repackaging of
existing proven mature LRUs

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to enable rapid development

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to get to production-ready capability.

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So the turret system integrates
the CT40 cannon systems

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and the cased telescope ammunition

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from the BA Systems and Nexer or KNDS.

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And we have integrated also

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a modular integrated protection system.

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So they're being developed in the UK,

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which is the Iron Fist effector

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and the Trophy sensors.

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We've taken the latest generation

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of sighting system from Telus.

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We've got a panoramic sights,

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which gives us full 360-degree capability,

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similar to what the current Ajax has,

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but it's a more modern sensor, TI.

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We're leveraging the
electronic architecture

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from the existing Ajax design.

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So Ajax is the most digitally
advanced armored vehicle

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in the world today.

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And we've leveraged that
into the areas Ajax IFV.

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The only difference you'll see

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when you look inside is the gunner

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and commander are located in the hull

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rather than the turrets.

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But we're reusing the same equipment.

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The benefits of Ajax are ported across

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without any change to
develop of the vehicle.

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So the survivability solution,

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of which we've mine blast
tested Ajax many times,

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and in every blast, the
soldier has survived

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or the instrumented test survived.

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That survivability solution is
ported across to this design.

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So yesterday was the unveiling,

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and we've had a huge interest
from export customers

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and domestic also.

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So it's something I look forward
to bringing to the market.

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Built here in South Wales in
our factory in Merthyr Tydfil.

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- You mentioned that there
are different export markets

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that you are exploring.

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Could you give a few examples

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of the potential foreign destinations

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in which you are interested,

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countries in Europe and beyond?

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- So I think an addressable market

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for the infantry fighting vehicle

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is quite significant today.

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For example, Poland is a customer
very interested in growing

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and are continuing a relationship with,

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and that's an area we're active in.

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To other regions, Estonia.

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We have ASCOD already in Latvia,

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so, yeah, it's a buying market.

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- And in terms of survivability,

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which is very important

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for defense ministries across Europe,

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are you also planning to continue

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to work on improving the
capabilities of this variant,

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basing this on the
experiences of militaries

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in conflicts in different
parts of the world,

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including the war in Ukraine?

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- Absolutely, so the Ajax design

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has got growth designed in from the start,

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and I was always acutely aware

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that the threat is ever changing.

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So the armor design, the armor system,

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is as fully modular in design.

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So as the threat changes,

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we can change the armor

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without changing the base
architecture of the vehicle.

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Obviously, we're focusing on
the active protection systems

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as the current step,

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but the changing the
passive protection system

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is easy to do with the
Ajax vehicle architecture.

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- Thank you very much, Scott.

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- Okay, thank you.

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