The Department told us that its contract with General Dynamics was to produce vehicles at an acceptable level of noise using existing headsets. It asserted that those headsets performed as it had assumed they would when the contract was let, something which General Dynamics disputes. However, the Department admitted that the headsets worn by its crews had not provided the higher levels of protection it had expected.38 The Army had been aware of the issues with these headsets on other armoured vehicles since at least 2019. It said it planned to upgrade existing headsets to ensure soldiers can complete missions in a way that is effective and safe, and is introducing new headsets into the Army from August 2022.39