Pictured: The Ajax being tested in extreme weather conditions in Sweden. Ajax, the British Army’s new generation of armoured fighting vehicle, has been put through its paces during cold weather trials in Sweden. The Ajax’s all-weather capability was tested in the wintry conditions of frozen Lapland, where the temperatures regularly dropped to minus 30 Celsius. Service personnel from the Household Cavalry Regiment based in Wiltshire successfully and accurately illustrated the Ajax platforms capacity to operate in extremely cold weather and fire on the move. The soldiers from the Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment marked a significant milestone during the overseas trials, becoming the first Field Army crew to fire the Ajax at home or abroad. The combat vehicles mobility over difficult terrain and its high standard of protection, Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) will provide a world-leading competitive advantage. Six variants of the Ajax family will allow the Army to operate in all weathers, 24 hours a day.

UK Seeks “Spiral Development By Default” With New Military Procurement Model

By in News, UK

Tweet
Share
Pin
0 Shares

The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence is launching a series of reforms to its procurement model that will begin taking effect in April, pursuing a cultural shift to put greater value on pace and “making every day count”.

The ministry calls the new system the Integrated Procurement Model, with five key features:

  • A joined-up approach across the ministry and services
  • New checks and balances from the early stages of a new program
  • Prioritizing exportability
  • Empowering industrial innovation
  • Spiral development by default, with systems delivered at “60-80%” capability followed by upgrades

The ministry says that it will foster the cultural shift underpinning these features through several steps, including creating a “psychologically safe environment” where employees feel safe to challenge the status quo, giving them the confidence to expose risks and issues early so they can be addressed.

National Audit Office graphic depicting the "capability drop" model used to manufacture the troubled AJAX cavalry reconnaissance model in stages (The Ajax Programme report by the National Audit Office)
National Audit Office graphic depicting the “capability drop” model used to manufacture the troubled AJAX cavalry reconnaissance vehicle in stages, where earlier vehicles are upgraded with later stages (The Ajax Programme report by the National Audit Office)

Additionally, the ministry wants to move from an “adversarial approach” towards “collegiate collaboration” with the UK’s defense industry, saying that it and the Defence Suppliers Forum have set a target of halving the time in which a contract is signed.

“There is no question that we are living in an increasingly dangerous world, and so our approach to major military procurement programmes cannot go on as it has before”, said Minister for Defence Procurement James Cartlidge in a statement announcing the Integrated Procurement Model. “Pace, challenge, and integration are vital to setting ourselves up for success and replacing the siloed nature of major programmes that hamper timely delivery and squander global export opportunities.”

A prototype Boxer Mechanised Infantry Vehicle. The UK was part of the Boxer’s joint development program between 1996 and 2003, returning to the program in 2018 with an order of around 500 Mechanised Infantry Vehicles. (UK Ministry of Defence)

Andy Start, the Chief Executive of UK military procurement agency Defence Equipment & Support described the new model as a “key turning point for defence procurement”. “We aim to help bring greater insight from industry and allies into the development of capability at an earlier stage, and we go live with the first part of our new operating model in March to set up major programmes up for success from the start.”

Cartlidge told Parliament on February 28 that the Ministry of Defence will publish a “new spiral development playbook” on April 8, allowing programs suited to adopting spiral development to do so. The Ministry of Defence expects that the Integration Design Authority will begin delivering initial integration services from April 8 as well.

Additionally, all programs across the ministry’s portfolio will be assessed by the end of 2024, evaluating whether a spiral development model can be applied to them. The ministry also intends to publish decision making guides on how to select the most appropriate development model for a program by then.

Tweet
Share
Pin
0 Shares

Tags: , , ,