Defence chief gets £120K BONUS despite spending BILLIONS on tanks that can’t be used because they deafen soldiers

  • Sir Simon Bollom, 61, oversaw £5.5billion in spending on infamous Ajax tanks 
  • A staggering number of soldiers were injured by the defects in the ‘dud armoured vehicle.
  • Sir Simon’s department oversees all acquisitions of ships, aircrafts and submarines by the Armed Forces.










A defence chief accused of squandering billions of pounds on faulty tanks has received a £120,000 bonus on top of his £280,000 salary. 

Sir Simon Bollom, 61, head of defence equipment and support at the Ministry of Defence (MoD), oversaw £5.5billion in spending on the infamous Ajax tanks, which could not be used after they were found to deafen soldiers. 

Ex-RAF officer Sir Simon, whose organisation purchases all the armed forces’ ships, submarines and aircrafts, was also paid £300,000 last year, reported the Daily Star on Sunday. 

The move comes after the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Commons criticized the MoD department for being ‘broken’. It also said that the Bristol-based MoD unit ‘continually fails’ to learn from its mistakes.

Colonel Richard Kemp (an ex-infantry commander) told the paper, ‘Bonuses to public sector employees working in the MoD shouldn’t be distributed sparingly. They’re often reserved for highly-ranking civil servants. 

They should not be used to recognize contributions that go beyond their contractual scope.

Sir Simon Bollom (pictured) , 61, head of defence equipment and support at the Ministry of Defence (MoD), oversaw £5.5billion in spending on the infamous Ajax tanks, which could not be used after they were found to deafen soldiers

Sir Simon Bollom (pictured) , 61, head of defence equipment and support at the Ministry of Defence (MoD), oversaw £5.5billion in spending on the infamous Ajax tanks, which could not be used after they were found to deafen soldiers

“Given Ajax’s disastrous failure it is possible that an Ajax bonus might seem excessively generous with taxpayers’ money.

Figures from the MoD, seen by Mail Online, show how Sir Simon has been paid £120,000 in bonuses since 2018. 

They were accepted by the MoD despite 13 large projects being behind for 21 years.

Ajax tanks were among those that caused delays. Their excessive vibration and noise must now be addressed. 

An MoD spokesman told Daily Star on Sunday: ‘Performance-related payments are based on meeting a number of challenging targets alongside assessment from the DE&S Board CHair and MoD Permanent Secretary.’  

Mail Online revealed in September how soldiers who suffered hearing loss and joint pain in the Army's crisis-hit Ajax vehicles (pictured) could claim hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation, according to lawyers

Mail Online reported in September that soldiers suffering from hearing loss or joint pain due to the Army’s Ajax crisis vehicles could be entitled to compensation of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

After the testing of the Ajax tanks in ‘dud’, an astonishing 310 soldiers were advised to seek medical treatment.

The noise from its engine, and the vibrations it generated during trial of the multibillion pound scheme caused the injuries. 

Mail Online reported in September that soldiers suffering from hearing loss or joint pain due to the Army’s crisis vehicles may be entitled to compensation of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The MoD may be required to cover the large bills if the troops prove that they are not able to work for the MoD.  

Ajax also struggled to fire accurately on the move and to reverse over obstacles – although there has been progress in these areas according to defence officials.

The vehicle’s trials, which had been halted in the spring of this year, were resumed by General Dynamics, who provided test drivers.  

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