Page 86 - KRH Regimental Journal 2022

84 The Regimental Journal of The King’s Royal Hussars
A Hawk in Requirements...
Lt Col CAJ Valdes-Scott, AJAX Senior Requirements Manager
The process of bringing Ajax into service was stymied for the majority of 2022 while the contractor (General Dynamics) investigated methods of mitigating excessive noise and vibration. This did not lead to the expected root cause analysis, but instead to a series of treatments to reduce any impacts on the crew... thicker seat cushions and inner ear protection under crew helmets. In GD’s defence, it is likely that most AFVs in service emit greater vibration and higher noise levels than recommended and previ- ously accepted. As a result the Household Cavalry Regiment has not been able to use and experiment with their 27 Ajax in 2022, pending these investigations. This is a problem as Formation Reconnaissance has not been able to develop its understanding of the new capabilities offered by Ajax (and the 5 variants), though hopefully this is due to recommence in 2023. The Armoured Regiments also now need to get involved:
2023 sees the last of CVR(T) SCIMITAR being withdrawn after 52 years in service. I suggest that merely substituting 8x AJAX for 8x SCIMITAR in an Armoured Regiment’s Close Recce screen is not the best use of this new capability... Scimitar has unique qualities due to its minimalist size, noise and footprint, weighing just under 8 tonnes. The trade-offs clearly being limited protec- tion and firepower, but good recce by stealth seldom needed these.
By contrast, AJAX will weigh in around 40 tonnes with bet- ter protection, a superb primary sight, good turret technology (target hand-off, slew to cue, excellent sensors) and a stabilised 40mm cannon. However being roughly the same size (bulk) as a Challenger 2 tank, recce by stealth is arguably a thing of the past... hence Armoured Regiments also need their opportunity to experi- ment with how they can best utilise the new AJAX capabilities.
During the glory days of the Regiment in BATUS (now a fast fading memory), we were encouraged to experiment (or so I thought... apologies Generals Shirreff and Bradshaw)... never more so than when playing the Opposing Force. The OPFOR recce screen (1996) was boosted by tanks ably crewed by SSgt ‘London’ Smith and Capt Dom Alers-Hankey who not only iden- tified and closed with, but also ‘killed’ the then Queen’s enemies. Dom was consistently the highest scorer (Top Gun) which goes to show how effective having tanks in the recce screen could be.
Armoured Regiments need to be prepared to re-orbat and experiment with tanks alongside AJAX in their recce screen. Traditionally we placed recce along a tight frontage to identify the advancing Russian hoards, we were defensive. We can now afford to be offensive – we have to be, as there is nothing subtle
about AJAX. We will also need to develop having integral bridg- ing assets, instead of them requiring a deliberate operation.
In other news... I thought I knew what it was like to be cold after various exploits in BATUS, the Rockies and The Patrol Race (best forgotten), however that was merely a tad chilly compared with the northern tip of Norway earlier this year while on a road trip with Lt Col Chris Sargent, Welsh Guards. We completed 10,000kms around the Baltic in a 22 year old Defender, breakdown free, merely using 1 litre of radiator fluid... We mostly slept in the back in issued sleep- ing bags, gibbering away while laughing through clenched teeth as we shivered ourselves to sleep... We became well practised in self- recovery and assisting other stranded road users, none more grate- ful than a young couple with a baby from Poland in a small hire car that we retrieved from a snow drift, who were sporting jeans and designer ‘cold weather’ jackets... They appeared to have been ‘caught unaware’ by the Arctic conditions in northern Norway in the thick of winter... After being the Requirements Manager for Ajax for two years, nothing should surprise me anymore.
CAJV-S
AJAX reconnaissance platform
CVR(T) Scimitar in service since 1971