Sponsored by TEK Military Seating Limited
http://www.tekmilitaryseating.co.uk/
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09 Jan 26. More details emerge on ICP’s new REVA armoured vehicles. ICP (Integrated Convoy Protection) recently developed a range of new armoured vehicles, evolving its proven series of REVA armoured personnel carriers (APCs) to include armoured utility/logistics vehicles. The 4×4 Armoured Utility Vehicle (AUV) and 4×4 armoured personnel carrier (APC) were formally unveiled at the IDEX defence exhibition in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in February 2025. The 4×4 REVA V Armoured Utility Vehicle has sufficient interior volume for a crew of two and a flat deck that can be fitted with various logistics, support and/or weapon systems. The all-steel hull, independent suspension, CTIS (central tyre inflation system), automatic transmission and air conditioning are optimised to offer high protection and ultra-high mobility in multiple operational theatres and harsh environments of up to 55°C, ICP said. The larger REVA VI 6×6 Armoured Utility Vehicle has sufficient interior volume for a crew of four and a flat deck with container locks with a 10 foot ISO footprint that can also be fitted with various logistics, support and/or weapon systems. Like the 4×4 version, it features independent suspension, CTIS, automatic transmission and air conditioning suitable for environments of up to 55°C. The third vehicle in the new range is the REVA V 4×4 APC, also designed for harsh desert operations. ICP says it can be configured for multiple applications such as personnel carrier, weapons platform, ambulance, command vehicle and more. The REVA V can seat between six and eight people in the rear in addition to two crew members in the front, and is equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission. A V-shaped hull provides protection against landmines and IEDs (ballistic protection is to Level 4A/B against IEDs and mines). The REVA V is just over seven metres long and weighs 16 tonnes unladen.
The Kasser II is the Emirati version of the 4×4 REVA V APC, but featuring a revised grille, different windscreen and other cosmetic changes. A 6×6 REVA VI AUV was sent to the UAE in December 2023 for demonstration purposes but is not in UAE military service.
ICP designed and manufactures the REVA V and 4×4 AUV vehicles at its facilities in Pretoria. It supplied parts to the UAE’s M4 Industries for the production of Kasser II vehicles. M4 Industries is an affiliate of the International Golden Group (IGG) – ICP has a longstanding strategic partnership with the Group, and has worked with it on several projects since 2008. Under a 2020 contract, ICP is believed to have delivered 100 Kasser II vehicles to the UAE, according to documents obtained by Open Secrets.
M4 Industries/IGG has subsequently sold a number of Kasser II vehicles to African customers. During Togo’s independence day parade on 27 April 2025, a dozen Kasser IIs were seen in service with the Togolese Armed Forces for counter-terrorism operations. In March 2025, images showed at least half a dozen Kassir IIs with the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Republican Guard. It is believed that the DRC has ordered around 160 Kasser IIs.
According to Open Secrets, ICP provided the intellectual property, parts, manufacturing capacity and staff to the UAE to build the Kasser II. As part of the deal between ICP and IGG, vehicles and components for building them may have been exported from South Africa without the permits required for the export of weapons, though ICP denies this, Open Secrets reported. ICP is well known for its REVA range of vehicles, an acronym for Reliable, Effective, Versatile, and Affordable. The REVA III 4×4 APC remains the company’s most popular and best-selling model, with over 2 000 units manufactured in South Africa. ICP has also expanded its manufacturing capabilities globally, establishing a plant in Iraq in 2005 where REVA vehicles were successfully produced. ICP has built more than 3 000 vehicles over the last 20 plus years. Its products have been deployed across various regions worldwide, including Iraq, the UAE, Yemen, Somalia, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, and South Africa. The company has the capacity to build 25 complete vehicles per month, including cash in transit (CIT) and security vehicles. In addition to armoured personnel carriers, ICP manufactures its Super Bulk and Retail cash in transit vehicles for customers like Fidelity, and on the lighter side builds an up-armoured Mahindra Pik Up as the Light Security Vehicle (LSV), available in single and double cab versions.
ICP CEO Nadine Rynners told defenceWeb that her company has a roughly 50:50 split between commercial and military work. The South African security market has “exploded”, she said, while there has been “very good progress” on the defence side of the business. After success in the Middle East and elsewhere, ICP is going to focus heavily on the African market. (Source: https://www.defenceweb.co.za/)
09 Jan 26. Ajax: The Denouement? After last year’s decision by the Ministry of Defence to halt all training and trials on the Ajax (initially for 2 weeks – the halt has now been running for 6 weeks…), attention is turning to the inevitable option for the troubled family of armoured vehicles: continue or cancellation. Whitehall sources suggested to Defence Eye that we could not have long to wait after Tory backbencher and former army officer Ben Obese-Jecty secured a Westminster Hall debate on the Ajax on 14 January. It was suggested to us that Defence Readiness and Industry Minister Luke Pollard would have to “come out fighting” to avoid looking like he was not in control of the crisis over the vehicle.
“The Minister launched three separate inquiries into the Ajax at the end of last year in response to the reports of army crews needing medical attention after operating the vehicles, so he has to have something to report,” said the source. “One of the inquiries was supposed to report in December, so the Minister has run out of time to dodge questions.”
What could Pollard tell Westminster Hall to silence critics of the vehicle? The first and most obvious answer would be to cancel the programme. Given that more than £5bn has been spent on the programme over the past 15 years, this would require strong nerves to face down internal British Army and Civil Service opposition. There is also an outside chance US President Trump might take offence at a major US defence corporation, General Dynamics, being stripped of a contract by Britain.
Cancellation also lances the boil over persistent reports of faults on the vehicle and concerns in the British Army that soldiers have lost confidence in it – and Defence Eye has been told by an Andover source that the Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Rowley Walker, is very concerned that the Army chain of command is seen by elements to have dropped the ball over Ajax. But after cancellation, a rapid programme to buy a new off-the-shelf recce vehicle could then be launched, and confidence in the chain of command re-built.
Could there be a middle way? Pollard’s other option would be launching a major engineering effort to get to the root causes of the vibration and noise issues that have bedevilled the Ajax programme – recall that after the first noise/vibration problems were reported, all that was done was “mitigation” of these, not resolution…. But an engineering fix, if there actually is one, would add cost, delay and there is no guarantee it would actually work. And there is no money in even the Army’s most optimistic Defence Investment Plan to cover the £1-2bn that would be needed.
So, Minister Pollard and his colleagues in the MoD will have their work cut out in the coming days to resolve the Ajax crisis.
In the wake of the two ministerial announcements halting training and trials using the Ajax vehicle, Britain’s Parliamentarians have been probing ministers on the status of the project.
Tory shadow defence minister Mark Francois led the charge, and others piled in on Defence Readiness and Industry Minister Luke Pollard.
Mark Francois: “To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any performance bonuses relating to the Ajax programme have been paid to officials in his Department over the last three years.”
Luke Pollard: “This information is not held centrally and therefore cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.”
Translation: Yes, bonuses have been awarded, some of them quite large considering the state that the programme is in, but we are really uncomfortable telling you how much they have been, even if most of them were awarded when you were in Government.
And if one thinks that this deduction is too cynical, consider the screen grab at the top of this article from the Defence Equipment and Support in-house newspaper, Desider, (https://des.mod.uk/ajax-wins-global-project-controls-award/)
Does anyone believe that the team winning an award did not get financial reward from the MoD..? Answers on a postcard…
Ajax: For The Record
Tory back bencher and former army officer, Ben Obese-Jecty, has been very busy holding Minister Pollard to account and teased out some very useful information on the Ajax programme.
Ben Obese-Jecty: “To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, between what dates has the Ajax programme previously been paused and for what reasons.”
Luke Pollard: “Issues of noise and vibration were recognised in mid-2020, with a stop notice issued in June 2021. All dynamic movement and transition activity was halted whilst the programme underwent a significant reset. The Army resumed training on Ajax in 2023 and paused later again in 2025.”
At the time of writing, Ajax has had stop orders in place for 20% of the programme’s life since contract, and that depends on how long the current stop order runs for…
Ben Obese-Jecty: “To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what project milestone was achieved by General Dynamics on 23 July 2025.”
Luke Pollard: “All criteria for Ajax Initial Operating Capability (IOC) were met on 23 July 2025 and following a period of review, IOC was declared by the Army on 15 September 2025. I have put in place a Ministerial led review into the Ajax programme, which will assess how effective the Department has been at implementing the actions of previous reviews, and seeking anything further that is required regarding safety. It will be conducted by experts who are not part of the AJAX programme, including Malcolm Chalmers, to provide a more independent view. It will be overseen by me and report to the Defence Secretary. It will be conducted at pace, but it will not be rushed.”
OK, so “all criteria for Ajax IOC were met”, and yet the minister has put in place a Ministerial-led review – these two statements do not match up, unless one assumes that the criteria for IOC were fudged – or covered up…
That the new review is to look into how well previous reviews performed suggests that it is known that they did not perform well.
And that the review will be, “conducted by experts who are not part of the AJAX programme,” is highly suggestive that the Minister cannot trust anyone who has been in the Ajax chain of delivery.
But what to make of, “It will be conducted at pace, but it will not be rushed”? Which will it be?
Mark Francois: “To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will name the officers or officials in the current DE&S Ajax Reporting chain at (a) 1, (b) 2, (c) 3 and (d) 4-star level.”
Luke Pollard: “The key officials in the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Ajax Reporting Chain are as follows:
1* – Head Combat Vehicles, Simon Pearson
2* – Director Land Environment, Major General Lizzie Faithfull-Davies
3* – Director General Core, Lieutenant General Anna-Lee Reilly
3* – DE&S CEO, Lieutenant General Simon Hamilton
4* – National Armaments Director, Rupert Pearce
The 3* Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) is Chris Bowbrick, who sits within Army HQ, not DE&S.”
Defence Eye has noted previously that the Minister, Luke Pollard, has been very happy to name in public, that he had received written submissions from the Chief of the Defence Staff, DE&S CEO Andy Start, the National Armament Director Rupert Pearce, and the Chief of the General Staff that Ajax was safe and at a level where it could contractually be signed off into service.
But here, he adds to the list of people who have fingerprints on Ajax over the past 2-3-years – he’s not going to let people skulk away from the scene of the crime, and Defence Eye feels sure that Commons Committees might use this PQ to summon some/all of these personnel to give testimony.
Ben Obese-Jecty: “To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had with (a) General Dynamics, (b) the Senior Responsible Officer and (c) the British Army on the Ajax programme since 23 July 2025.
Luke Pollard: “Since the incident during Exercise Titan Storm last month, I have been having regular discussions with key stakeholders from the Army and Ajax Programme team, and I met with General Dynamics on 9 December 2025. I have provided further details to the House via two Written Ministerial Statements and an Urgent Question reply in addition.”
Arguably the key issue here is that the Minister is admitting that the November Exercise Titan Storm saw issues/injuries to Army personnel operating Ajax family vehicles – no evasion here, no dissembling.
Ben Obese-Jecty: “To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many soldiers were hospitalised or received hearing-related injuries in relation to the Ajax programme since 23 July 2025.”
Luke Pollard: “Since 23 July 2025, centrally held electronic systems show fewer than five personnel have had a hospital admission recorded since their first use of Ajax. None of these were related to Ajax, hearing or vibration. In the same period, 27 personnel have had a hearing loss related read code entered into their electronic medical record since their first use of Ajax. However, the presence of read code does not imply either a long-term problem or that it has been caused by their use of Ajax. For any Service person, their use of Ajax will be mixed with other potential sources of exposure. It is also possible that symptoms are not occupationally related.”
The last paragraph is key: the MoD is not fighting that personnel might have had hearing and nerve issues – but the Department is fighting any direct linkage to Ajax use. So, there is a serious degree of sophistry here…
But that 27 personnel had had a health record of hearing loss recorded, and during this time they have been operating Ajax should be of no small use to any lawyers suing the MoD in the future for clients who have worked with Ajax. If previously that have been operating Warrior, Bulldog, Jackal, and have not had hearing issues, then there is a rather large finger pointing to Ajax as the cause of these health issues.
Ben Obese-Jecty: “To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment has he made of the quality of the a) workmanship and b) quality control on the Ajax production line at General Dynamics Merthyr Tydfil facility.”
Luke Pollard: “The Ajax programme has a Joint Acceptance Group; a collaborative team of British Army and General Dynamics Land Systems-UK personnel who work together to test, evaluate, and formally accept the new Ajax vehicles into service.”
Translation: “Don’t look over here, look over there”. This answer does not answer the actual question…
Mark Francois: “To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has ever sought legal advice from the Treasury Solicitor’s Department on Ajax.”
Luke Pollard: “I can confirm that legal advice has been sought from the Government Legal Department on Ajax.”
Translation: “We should have been throwing the book at General Dynamics years ago – well, your government should have – but talking to the Legal Department now about commercial issues is shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted”.
Mark Francois: “To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the salary band of the current Ajax SRO; and whether this has been supplemented by a performance or other bonus within the past three years.”
Luke Pollard: “Information regarding pay bands for Army Command Senior Civil Servants can be found at the following link.”
Note: The top end of the salary for the Ajax SRO is £160,000+ – the Prime Minister’s upper end pay is £172,000, but there is no bonus. If the Ajax SRO (see PQ answer earlier) were to be, say, 25-30% of salary, then he would be receiving £200,000+
(Source: Defence Eye)
08 Jan 26. Tonnes (81) of problems for Challenger 3. Sources close to BATTLESPACE suggest that the Challenger 3 programme hss hit sever issues due to the increased weight requirements, including 5 extra tonnes on the turret for UAV protection. This extra weight has been questioned by many experts as the Rafael Trophy system will defeat an estimated 95% of all UAV attacks without the extra weight. 81 tonnes will put Challenger 3 above the weight for the HET tank transporters and any new variant required and all military bridging. 81 tonnes will also put enormous strain on the existing gearbox which has not been upgraded to meet this extra weight. Watch this space!
06 Jan 26. The Horstman Group, a RENK Group company, has been selected to supply its advanced Hydrostrut® suspension technology to V2X Inc. for delivery to the United States Marine Corps (USMC’s) Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV). Following a V2X led rapid integration project, the USMC was able to field test the Horstman Hydrostrut® units. First Hydrostrut® production orders were issued by the USMC to V2X and Horstman within 15 months of Horstman’s offer to supply product for testing. Current production orders are scheduled to continue through December 2026. The speed with which this award was completed is a tribute to the open cooperation that occurred between the senior leadership and technical teams amongst the Horstman Group, USMC, and V2X Inc. Program Manager Advanced Amphibious Assault (PM AAA) identified an opportunity to seek an alternate material solution to a high demand suspension item on the ACV. Chris Melkonian, PM AAA, said: “From start to finish, the identification-to-fielding timeframe demonstrated the effective working relationship the PMO has with private industry. The Hydrostrut® suspension will help to bolster availability of parts necessary to maintaining this amphibious capability for the USMC.”
“This collaboration highlights V2X’s ability to leverage advanced technologies in defense programs, ensuring our customers have mission-ready solutions,” said Jeremy C. Wensinger, President and CEO of V2X. “We take pride in working with Horstman Group to deliver Hydrostrut® systems that improve performance, durability, and reliability for critical operations such as the Amphibious Combat Vehicle program.”
“The Horstman Group has a long, proven history of developing and delivering Hydrostrut® systems to customers worldwide,” said Gareth Elwell, CEO of the Horstman Group. “We are proud to expand this legacy through our cooperation with the USMC and V2X, and we look forward to advancing vehicle performance and reliability through our next-generation suspension technologies.”
Hydrostrut® is one of Horstman’s flagship hydro-pneumatic suspension solutions, engineered to deliver superior mobility, durability, and ride quality across demanding military environments. The system can be paired with conventional passive damping or advanced Active Damping System (ADS®) technologies and is designed to enhance vehicle stability, crew comfort, and overall mission effectiveness. This partnership underscores the shared commitment of Horstman Group, USMC, and V2X Inc. to accelerate innovation and deliver cutting-edge mobility solutions for future defense vehicle platforms.
05 Jan 26. 4iG Space and Defence Zrt. (“4iG S&D”) entered into a cooperation agreement with world-renowned vehicle manufacturer TATRA TRUCKS a.s. (“TATRA”), with 65% of shares held by CZECHOSLOVAK GROUP a.s. (“CSG”).
- Under the agreement, 4iG S&D gains exclusive representation and sales rights for TATRA’s military and special-purpose vehicles, as well as related solutions in Hungary. The agreement is also the foundation for a long-term partnership between the parties.
- Within the framework of the future cooperation, parties are examining the possibilities of Hungary-based component production on the capacities of Rába Automotive Holding, as well as manufacturing and assembly of vehicles and joint development of specific systems, thereby contributing to the expansion of Hungary’s defence capabilities.
- The strategic agreement signed is aligned with efforts to develop the defence industry, strengthen technological sovereignty, and support the sustainable development of NATO-compatible military capabilities of Hungary.
4iG Space and Defence Zrt. (“4iG S&D”) and TATRA TRUCKS a.s. (“TATRA”) signed an agreement that opens a new chapter in the cooperation and lays the bedstone of a long-term partnership. Under the agreement, 4iG S&D gains exclusive rights to represent TATRA and to distribute and sell its military and special-purpose vehicles in Hungary. The objective of the cooperation is to introduce TATRA heavy-duty, off-road vehicle platforms – known for their exceptional capabilities – to the Hungarian market within a clearly defined commercial and professional framework, primarily for defence, security, and other special government applications. The agreement however goes beyond market launch and distribution in Hungary. The parties are also examining further domestic industrial cooperation opportunities, including manufacturing and assembly processes, product support, and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services. Rába Automotive Holding (“Rába”) is expected to play a key role in this process. The company is set to come under the indirect majority ownership of 4iG S&D, through its subsidiary in January 20261 and possesses significant defence industrial capacities. In the future, the agreement can also provide a basis for 4iG S&D to participate in connection with TATRA vehicles, for manufacturing of components and subsystems, production of complete vehicles, and preparation of new joint development and market projects in the future – including projects outside Hungary. The long-term objective of the parties is for Rába, with its 129-year history, to become TATRA’s manufacturing and development hub serving Central European region, and the second-largest such centre in Europe. 65% of TATRA’s shares are held by CZECHOSLOVAK GROUP a.s. (“CSG”), one of the most significant and fastest-growing privately owned defence industrial and industrial-technology groups in Central and Eastern Europe. CSG operates manufacturing and development capacities in more than ten countries and is a key player in the fields of land systems, ammunition production, vehicle manufacturing, and specialised defence solutions. Through this partnership, 4iG S&D cooperates with a technologically advanced group that is internationally recognised and possesses substantial defence industrial expertise. The exclusive agreement is aligned with the long-term strategy of 4iG S&D and 4iG Group to deliver state of art, NATO-compatible defence solutions in partnership with international technology providers, while strengthening Hungary’s role in the regional defence industrial value chain. The agreement aimed at integrating land mobility capabilities is a flagship project of 4iG S&D’s Land Systems business line and ensures the development of a comprehensive defence industrial portfolio built on integrated land, air, and space competencies.
4iG Space and Defence Zrt.
4iG Space and Defence Zrt. is the space and defence industry holding company of the 4iG Group, developing innovative dual-use technologies for the space, defence, and security sectors. Its activities are structured around five business domains: Space, Aero, Land Systems, Weapons & Ammunition, and Cyber and Defence Digitalisation. The space business encompasses satellite design, manufacturing, and operations. In the field of defence technologies, 4iG S&D develops unmanned aerial vehicles and counter-UAS systems, land platforms, weapons, and ammunition manufacturing solutions, as well as advanced cyber and digitalisation technologies. Its systems contribute to the development of NATO-compatible capabilities and the strengthening of regional security.
www.4igsdt.hu
TATRA TRUCKS a.s.
TATRA TRUCKS a.s. operates in the field of vehicle design, development, manufacturing, and sales, with a particular focus on heavy-duty off-road trucks. Its activities include the development and production of trucks, vehicle chassis, engines, transmissions as well as related components and subsystems. TATRA owns proprietary vehicle technologies based on its unique engineering solutions, which form the foundation of its vehicle platforms. 65% of TATRA`s shares are held by CZECHOSLOVAK GROUP a.s., an industrial and technology group active across multiple sectors.
www.tatratrucks.com
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TEK Military Seating Limited
TEK Military Seating Limited is a UK based designer and manufacturer of ProTEK military vehicle seating which offer the highest standards of safety and protection. The ProTEK brand is well respected across the globe for its robust construction, innovative design, built in modularity and cost effectiveness. Our superior products are supported by our experienced team who endeavor to offer unrivalled service to our customers from enquiry, through design and acceptance, to through life support.
From its inception ProTEK seats have been designed around a family of innovative seat frames onto which tested and certified modules can be fitted to create a bespoke solution for the user. These include Blast protection to Stanag 4569 standards, vibration reduction, head and body protection, seat risers and turntables, fore & aft adjustment, and seat back rake along with viable seat dimensions without the need for additional tooling costs.
Contact: Paul Fleming
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