Today, we’re taking a look at the British Army’s Ajax, featuring a 40 mm cannon, great mobility, excellent ammo options and a lethal fire control system!
Ajax: A Light Tank for Great Britain at Rank VII |
At a glance:
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Vehicle History
In the 1990s, the UK was looking to replace their CVR(T) family of vehicles. These were from the 70’s and certainly showed their age, so the army looked for a more advanced modular platform that could fill a variety of roles to replace them with. Through the Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) program, General Dynamics UK (GDUK) competed against BAE System’s CV90, with GDUK’s ASCOD 2 winning the competition. A contract was awarded in March 2010 for ASCOD 2, which had been a development from an Austrian and Spanish design (ASCOD is an acronym for “Austrian Spanish Cooperation Development”).
During initial development, the designated name for the design was “Scout SV” until it was renamed to Ajax. There are six vehicles that fill a variety of roles under this name, each on the same platform. In September 2014, the UK Government put in an order for 245 turreted Ajax vehicles. The vehicle was due to enter service in 2017, but due to a series of challenges, including noise and vibration problems that caused hearing issues to crew members in 2020, trials were paused, causing delays. However, according to the UK Government, the complications faced by the Ajax platform have now been solved.
The production of these 245 turreted Ajax vehicles continues in Merthyr Tydfil and Oakdale in Wales. As of April 2025, 100 Ajax variants have been delivered to the British Army and more are expected to continue to be delivered over time up until 2028-29.
Introducing Ajax!
Meet the British Army’s turreted Ajax, featuring a fast-firing cannon, a great top speed and excellent ammo and electronic devices, coming in the Line of Contact major update! Built in Wales, UK, an order for 245 turreted Ajax vehicles is still being carried out by General Dynamics UK to form the backbone of the British Army’s future armored units. Let’s take a look at what this vehicle can offer!
The Ajax family was designed to replace the outdated CVR(T) vehicles and be the British Army’s advanced vehicle platform of the future. The platform in general, in which there are six, all feature either excellent firepower or systems to have a 24/7 electronic overview of the battlefield and to support troops in a variety of roles. The turreted Ajax that is coming to War Thunder features a 40 mm CTC cannon which can fire cased telescoped ammunition. This ammunition is special in that the projectile is stored within the cartridge case itself, providing excellent characteristics over conventional rounds. The main ammo of choice against armored vehicles is the APFSDS rounds, capable of penetrating enemy tanks from the side without much issue, even at an angle. There’s also two HE rounds, both impact and remote fuze, and another specifically for taking out aircraft, known as the kinetic energy burst round (AHEAD). All in all, thanks to Ajax’s variety of ammunition choices for many combat scenarios and a 200 RPM rate of fire for the 40 mm gun, this vehicle is a deadly force to be reckoned with!
Interesting: The name “Ajax” refers to the turret Ajax, but is also the umbrella term for six of the vehicles in total. They are all based on the same platform and each have different roles: the turreted “Ajax” with a cannon as a fighting vehicle , “Ares” for carrying troops on the battlefield, “Athena” as a command vehicle, “Argus” as an engineering equipment vehicle, “Atlas” as a recovery vehicle and “Apollo” as a repair & tow vehicle.
In terms of electronic devices, Ajax’s three-man crew has access to many important systems for engaging targets at all ranges. This includes a laser rangefinder, thermal imager and panoramic sight, meaning you’ll be able to hone in on enemy targets at all distances and in any weather scenario.
In real life, Ajax is meant for the reconnaissance role, where vehicles are typically quite light. However, it still weighs a ton (literally and figuratively)! Coming in at a hefty 40 t or so, Ajax is one of the heavier vehicles in this class in the world, making it medium weight instead of light. For comparison, the EBRC Jaguar weighs 25 tons and the Bradley is about 30 tons. Having said this, the MTU engine has 816 HP and can accelerate Ajax up to 70 km/h forward and 35 km/h in reverse. This means you’ll be able to reach advantageous positions relatively quickly, scout enemies and take them out from behind. You’re also backed up with smoke grenades on the front of the turret, allowing you to get out of bad situations if needed. Just don’t smoke your teammates!
As one might expect, Ajax’s armor is relatively thin. It’s enough to protect against smaller explosions and heavy machine guns, but anything bigger will pierce right through and take out the crew inside. Keep this in mind and lay low as with all lighter vehicles! If you’ve tried the new EBRC Jaguar, Ajax will perform very similarly in terms of firepower as they have the same gun, so you’ll be able to use that experience to your advantage when playing with this new British vehicle!
That’s it for this one! The British Army’s new Ajax will be arriving at the end of the light tank line for Britain in the Line of Contact major update. Providing excellent firepower and mobility, this one should be a lot of fun to play. See you soon for more dev blogs!
Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.