Replacement for the SA80

[Ream_Me]

I heard the other day that the L85A2 is only a stop gap measure until they get the new weapons ready for general issue.
They moved all the pattern room weapons to Leeds and are just waiting for the Imperial War Museum to move theirs up there too and will refurbish and issue to the TA first (they are really important you know  : ) followed by the cadets and finally the regular army.
Put me down for a sten gun please.
This is only happening though because Sierra Leone refused to sell/swap the old SLR's back too us.

 

[Davros_the_Dalek]

Well I've always been one for the introduction of some kind of plasma cannon!  Yes, yes, the physics are impossible, but you gotta admit.. sounds better than Rifle 5.56mm, green and black, for shooting, x1. !!  

 

[Mr Happy]

I like the SA80 A1.  It hits what I aim at and makes a loud noise.  I've a friend who's dropped someone with one and he had no complaints about 5.56.

Given the choice, I'd rather carry 8 x 30 rounds of 5.56 that 4 x 20 rounds of 7.62.

If the army official www is to be believed then the A2 is the dogs, I'll guess we'll see.  

There are better weapons on the market and maybe we'll get something one day, 4.7mm caseless darts seem the answer for allowing bad shots to shoot bad guys easily but I see the SA80 and big advance over the FN FAL.

 

[voodoo_sprout]

My two pennies worth doesn't mean much going by the fact I have less experience with weapons than an average 12 year old American schoolboy, but the SA80A2 has proved well in reliability trials. Reliability isn't everything of course, but it should be able to do the job. In the long run however, I think the replacement is currently set to be the Vektor CR21, another 5.56 jobby, with less weight, more plastic, more weird shapes, bigger mags (no more capacity mind), a highly effective flash hider (the manufacturer said so, it must be true!), and none of that green stuff. However going by the MoD's past performance, we'll soon be retraining on the Lee enfield .

 

[Mr Happy]

Got a URL for that report / manufacturers www, I thought the A2 was staying until 2015?

 

[nurse]

prefer an of the shelf purchase of something that has a proven track record like C7A1,M16A2 or G36

 

[Telbert]

Hope the SA80's replacement can be fired off both shoulders. That is it biggest design flaw and one teh MOD have turned a blind eye to for many years.

 

[blobmeister]

Blimey, 8 yrs!

To answer though, I believe the Army will not be going for a bullpup design next (2015/2020). It makes sense to have a commonality amongst the weapon group, maybe HK416 or newer model by then? (bearing in mind GMG, UGL are all HK family).

 

[paddington_88]

It's been 8 years and still no replacement, don't get your hopes up Tel

 

[mucus2]

Reckon you win the prize for the oldest resurrected thread fellah. Nine years! Nine facking years!

 

[squeekingsapper]

I have said all along that we should have gone for the tried and tested Steyr Aug.

 

[blobmeister]

We need to move away from bullpup designs, not get another one!

 

[MARTOK]

Reckon you win the prize for the oldest resurrected thread fellah. Nine years! Nine facking years!

Perhaps its time that the administrators thought about time barring threads. Lets say that once a thread is 2 years old it is locked and if any one thinks the topic warrants a comment after this period they should start a new thread.

 

[AT55]

I have said all along that we should have gone for the tried and tested Steyr Aug.

I am a natural left hander and also have a weak right eye so the SA80 was a real no no for me. My personal weapon was the M16 or SLR but preferred the SLR. I have used the AUG on dozens of occasions and had no trouble firing left handed. It can be converted for lefties in a very short time. It is however a bit long in the tooth now but so is the SLR.

 

[EScotia]

Why change a weapon that obviously works in the type of conflict we are currently, engaged in plus likely to be for the foreseeable fututre?

 

[fridge_magnet]

17 this is not a drill

 

[BEV967]

I understand why they took on the 5.56mm but jesus in my eyes why are we using a round that does not drop a taliban high on drugs in one go... his mates wont worry about him until later, in this theatre of war its defunct... 7.62 .. blow him in half job done.... now thats how i want my personal weapon to act lets leave 5.56 for Politically Correct England where soon the Armed Police/Airport security and "special response squads" will have weapons taken away anyhow... due to "Granny Chimp parlour" and the "Muslim lets take over uk and abolish the police council" being able to make all the decisions over sane Government and tha sane British Public..... "rant rave" "spit hiss"

 

[squeekingsapper]

I am a natural left hander and also have a weak right eye so the SA80 was a real no no for me. My personal weapon was the M16 or SLR but preferred the SLR. I have used the AUG on dozens of occasions and had no trouble firing left handed. It can be converted for lefties in a very short time. It is however a bit long in the tooth now but so is the SLR.

It's certainly been around since the eighties and I believe in the 70's, yet still a mainstay for many armies including the Aussies. At the risk of upsetting all camps on here, the bullpup design is always going to be easier to handle from vehicles and helios due to the very fact that it is generally shorter, however the SA80 falls short in a lot of areas and left handers are one of them. The Steyr Aug and Fa Mas were both designed and produced before the SA80 and both can easily be converted to fire left handed, so no one can argue that "we" missed a trick there as it is more a case that it was ignored.

Before anyone else raises it, I am not advocating a change to the Fa Mas as it is a bag of bolts and I wouldn't have one as a weapon of choice.

 

[squeekingsapper]

I understand why they took on the 5.56mm but jesus in my eyes why are we using a round that does not drop a taliban high on drugs in one go... his mates wont worry about him until later, in this theatre of war its defunct... 7.62 .. blow him in half job done.... now thats how i want my personal weapon to act lets leave 5.56 for Politically Correct England where soon the Armed Police/Airport security and "special response squads" will have weapons taken away anyhow... due to "Granny Chimp parlour" and the "Muslim lets take over uk and abolish the police council" being able to make all the decisions over sane Government and tha sane British Public..... "rant rave" "spit hiss"

Two words, fire supression.

 

[BEV967]

and whilst im at it... why does the Military persist in making us use the crappy 9mm FN .... talk about dinasaur.. yeah ok thousands still in circulation but id rather drop the mag out and hit someone with the pistol grip than attempt to actually fire it in anger .. yeah yeah its all about cash ... so wheres my semi automatic "like as wot my sister firm has in the UK init" ..... i despair