The UK has ordered 589 AJAX vehicles, formerly known as the SCOUT Specialist Vehicle and is a state-of-the-art medium armoured fighting and reconnaissance platform. Permali will supply composite materials that form a key element of the best-in-class armour protection offered by the vehicle.
Director of Land Equipment and the UK’s Defence Equipment and Support organisation, Major General Robert Talbot Rice, said: “The Ajax vehicle is at the heart of the UK’s new Strike Brigades, giving our Armed Forces the ability to respond rapidly and effectively across a huge variety of terrains. The signing of this contract means that Permali will have a key role in supplying world class protection for the British Army’s fleet of next-generation fighting vehicles.”
Permali has also undertaken a substantial R&D programme, investing £300,000 in new machinery to manufacture the composite materials. A further investment of more than £1m in equipment has begun to convert the factory processes to a more energy efficient heating system, which will also increase capacity to supply this contract.
“This is a seven-year contract and the result of a great deal of hard work,” said Colin MacAdam, managing director at Permali. “Against international competition, we have demonstrated that Permali has developed world leading composite technology.”
