British Army Ajax 40 mm Cannon Boosts Reconnaissance Firepower Over Russia’s BRM-3K Rys.

The British Army’s Ajax reconnaissance vehicle significantly increases direct-fire capability by combining advanced sensors and digital connectivity with the 40 mm Cased Telescoped Armament System, according to British Army capability specifications. Compared with Russia’s BRM-3K Rys and its 30 mm 2A72 cannon, Ajax gives reconnaissance crews greater ability to detect, track and defeat a broader range of battlefield threats.

Its 40 mm weapon can fire armor-piercing and programmable ammunition, extending Ajax beyond traditional reconnaissance into missions requiring rapid engagement of protected vehicles, infantry positions and other targets. That combination of sensing, mobility, and heavier firepower reflects a wider shift toward reconnaissance platforms that can survive contact and contribute directly to combat rather than simply observe it.

Related Topic: New Ajax IFV Set to Strengthen British Mechanized Infantry Carrying Eight Dismounts and Uncrewed 40 mm Turret

British Army Ajax tracked reconnaissance vehicle displayed at DVD 2026, highlighting its 40 mm CTAS cannon, advanced sensor suite, digital architecture, and enhanced protection for future armored reconnaissance missions. (Picture source: Army Recognition Group)

British soldiers operating Ajax have highlighted its responsiveness, situational awareness, and stabilized 40 mm cannon as major improvements over previous reconnaissance vehicles, while the British Army declared Ajax Initial Operating Capability in November 2025, confirming the vehicle as a core element of future British armored and deep reconnaissance formations.

The main weapon fitted to the Ajax reconnaissance variant is CTA International’s 40CT cannon, part of the 40CTAS family developed through the Franco-British industrial partnership between BAE Systems and KNDS France. The weapon uses cased telescoped ammunition, with the projectile contained inside a cylindrical cartridge surrounded by propellant, allowing high ballistic performance from a comparatively compact ammunition architecture. CTA International states that the 40CTAS can fire at up to 200 rounds per minute and reach targets at operational ranges exceeding four kilometers depending on ammunition and engagement conditions. Its stabilization enables Ajax crews to fire while moving, an important advantage for reconnaissance units that must maintain mobility after detecting or engaging hostile forces. The armor-piercing capability is particularly significant: according to CTA International, the APFSDS-T round has a muzzle velocity above 1,500 meters per second, an effective range greater than 2,500 meters, and manufacturer-stated penetration of more than 140 mm of rolled homogeneous armor at 1,500 meters.

Those figures place Ajax in a different firepower category from older reconnaissance vehicles armed with conventional 20 mm or 30 mm autocannons. The cannon is not intended to replace the Challenger 3's anti-tank capability, but it gives Ajax enough direct-fire power to threaten many reconnaissance vehicles, armored personnel carriers, and infantry fighting vehicles encountered during forward reconnaissance missions. The Russian BRM-3K Rys provides a useful comparison because it performs a broadly similar battlefield reconnaissance function. Based on the BMP-3 chassis, the BRM-3K was designed to detect and identify opposing forces while carrying enough armament to defend itself or disengage from contact. Its principal weapon is the 30 mm 2A72 automatic cannon, supported by a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun; available technical data puts the cannon at around 300 rounds per minute and a useful engagement range of roughly 1,500 to 2,000 meters against armored ground targets.

This illustrates one of the clearest differences between the two reconnaissance vehicles. The Russian cannon has a higher cyclic rate, but Ajax trades some rate of fire for a larger 40 mm projectile, stronger armor-piercing performance, and a broader family of programmable and general-purpose ammunition. In practical terms, rate of fire alone is not the decisive measure for a reconnaissance vehicle. Ajax is designed to detect targets early, engage selected threats accurately, and remain connected to a wider network of artillery, armor, and other sensors. The destructive effect of each 40 mm round can therefore matter more than simply placing more smaller-caliber projectiles downrange.

The ammunition architecture also gives Ajax greater flexibility against troops in field positions. The 40CTAS family includes programmable air-burst ammunition that can detonate at a selected point rather than only after direct impact, allowing crews to attack personnel behind cover, inside trenches, or around defensive positions that would be harder to engage effectively with conventional impact ammunition alone. This gives Ajax greater tactical flexibility once it detects a target. A reconnaissance crew can continue observing and report the target to supporting forces, engage suitable armored vehicles with APFSDS-T, or use programmable and general-purpose ammunition against infantry and defensive positions depending on the tactical situation.

Russian BRM-3K Rys tracked reconnaissance vehicle, based on the BMP-3 chassis and equipped with a 30 mm 2A72 cannon, battlefield surveillance sensors, thermal sights, and reconnaissance systems for detecting and identifying enemy forces.

The BRM-3K retains the advantages of its BMP-3-derived design. At around 19.6 tonnes, it is much lighter than Ajax and is fully amphibious, using water jets to move through water at approximately 10 km/h. Its maximum road speed is around 70 km/h, broadly similar to Ajax’s published road speed. By comparison, Ajax can reach a maximum weight of approximately 42 tonnes, reflecting a very different approach to survivability, electronics, and growth potential. It uses advanced modular armor, mine-blast-resistant seating, modern suspension and extensive digital architecture while retaining a published maximum road speed of around 70 km/h. The weight difference reflects contrasting design priorities: the BRM-3K emphasizes amphibious mobility and a relatively light BMP-3-derived hull, while Ajax accepts substantially greater mass in exchange for increased protection, internal electronic capacity, sensor integration, and a more powerful weapon.

The BRM-3K is nevertheless more than a lightly armed scout vehicle. Its reconnaissance equipment includes thermal and night observation systems, laser rangefinding, navigation equipment and battlefield-surveillance radar, allowing crews to detect personnel and vehicles beyond visual range under some conditions. Ajax approaches the same mission from a more digitally integrated perspective. The British Army describes the family as an all-weather intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capability built around advanced sensors and networked systems, with the turreted Ajax variant serving as a core reconnaissance vehicle for armored formations. This distinction becomes important in high-intensity warfare because detecting an enemy vehicle is only one part of the mission; reconnaissance crews must classify it, determine its location, decide whether to engage, and then distribute that information to other weapon systems before the enemy can react.

Ajax is designed around that complete detection-to-engagement process. Its digital architecture connects sensors, communications, and mission systems into a wider battlefield network, giving the crew several options after detecting a target. If the threat is suitable for direct engagement, Ajax can employ armor-piercing ammunition against protected vehicles or programmable ammunition against infantry and positions. If the threat is too heavily protected, the crew can instead transmit target data to artillery, anti-tank units or main battle tanks. This creates a different operational model from the older Russian reconnaissance concept represented by the BRM-3K. Both vehicles combine surveillance equipment with direct-fire weapons, but Ajax places greater emphasis on networked targeting, digital information sharing and the ability to deliver a heavier effect immediately after detection.

The difference is also visible in survivability. Ajax incorporates modular armor, mine-blast-resistant seats, and ammunition arrangements intended to improve crew protection, reflecting the expectation that modern reconnaissance vehicles may be exposed not only to direct fire but also to mines, artillery fragments, drones, and other battlefield threats while operating ahead of heavier formations. The heavier protection comes with disadvantages. Ajax weighs more than twice as much as the BRM-3K and lacks the Russian vehicle’s inherent amphibious mobility, potentially placing greater demands on bridges, transporters, and logistics. The BRM-3K’s lower weight and swimming capability can provide greater freedom of movement across rivers and other water obstacles, particularly where bridging support is limited.

Ajax compensates with greater protection, higher growth capacity, and a newer electronic architecture intended to support future upgrades. Its fire-control system and 40 mm armament also offer potential for additional roles. CTA International states that the 40CTAS ammunition family can address land, naval, and aerial targets, including emerging drone threats, while programmable ammunition and high gun elevation could support future counter-UAS applications. This does not make Ajax a dedicated counter-drone combat vehicle, but it demonstrates how a reconnaissance vehicle combining advanced sensors, programmable ammunition and networked targeting could contribute to local defense against small aerial threats without relying exclusively on specialized missile systems.

The comparison with the BRM-3K therefore highlights how reconnaissance vehicle design has evolved. The Russian vehicle combines a lightweight amphibious chassis, battlefield-surveillance radar and a conventional 30 mm cannon, providing mobility and enough firepower to defend itself during reconnaissance missions. Ajax is substantially heavier, more protected and more digitally integrated, while its 40 mm cannon gives it greater direct-fire potential against armored and soft targets. The British vehicle is not simply designed to observe enemy formations from a distance; its sensors, communications and armament are intended to shorten the interval between detection and engagement, allowing a crew either to attack immediately or rapidly transfer target information to another shooter.

That combination explains why the 40CTAS is central to Ajax’s battlefield value. The cannon transforms the vehicle from a reconnaissance asset carrying mainly defensive armament into an armed reconnaissance vehicle capable of generating significant combat effect itself. For British reconnaissance units facing Russian-style mechanized forces, the contrast with the BRM-3K is particularly relevant: both vehicles can detect targets and engage while moving, but Ajax combines a larger-caliber cannon, programmable ammunition, heavier protection, and a newer digital architecture intended to integrate reconnaissance directly with the wider British Army sensor-to-shooter network. Its operational effectiveness will still depend on training, availability, maintenance, and crews' ability to exploit these systems under combat conditions, but technically Ajax represents a clear generational shift from the older reconnaissance model represented by the BRM-3K.

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Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.