The Defence Ministry has affirmed that the British Army presently holds no demand for a light tank capability, even as it monitors the deployment of such systems globally.
In response to a written parliamentary query from Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, Defence Minister Luke Pollard indicated that the Army habitually evaluates which vehicles are most fitting to satisfy particular operational requirements.
Pollard highlighted that the foundational platform of the Philippines Army’s Sabrah Light Tank is the ASCOD 2 chassis, a vehicle lineage identical to that which forms the basis of the British Army’s Ajax programme.
Nonetheless, he asserted:“Currently, the British Army lacks a need for a light tank capability.”
He added that the Army continues to keep track of the application of light tanks, alongside broader international advancements in armoured fighting vehicles. The minister also discussed the Spanish Army’s VCZAP Castor, characterizing it as the combat engineering iteration of the ASCOD 2 chassis.
Pollard disclosed that, under the British Army’s Armoured Cavalry programme, the Army is introducing the ARGUS variant of the Ajax family, which is anticipated to furnish an advanced engineer reconnaissance function. He further explained that, together with the established Trojan and Terrier platforms, ARGUS will equip the Army with what he described as a comprehensive array of combat engineering capabilities.