The SA80 (Small Arms for the 1980s) is a British family of 5.56×45mm NATO service weapons used by the British Army. [4] The L85 Rifle variant has been the standard issue service rifle of the British Armed Forces since 1987, replacing the L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle .

Feb 19, 2019 · Generals and bureaucrats at the Ministry of Defense wanted it to be the most accurate and reliable assault rifle in the world. Instead, it was a bloody disaster. First introduced in 1985, the...

SA80 is the designation for a revolutionary family of assault weapons. On its introduction, it proved so accurate that the Army marksmanship tests had to be redesigned. SA80 A2 comprises the Individual Weapon (IW) and the Light Support Weapon (LSW).

Mar 12, 2024 · The British Army is beginning to ‘ramp down’ production of its existing assault rifle, the SA80, designated L85A3, ahead of the induction of its replacement system under Project Grayburn.

Mar 13, 2024 · In January 2024, the British Army announced the beginning of the reduction in production of its existing assault rifle, the SA80, also known as the L85A3, in anticipation of the introduction of its replacement system under Project Grayburn.

The SA80 is a bullpup design, i.e. the action is to the rear of the trigger group. It uses a short-stroke gas piston system and fires from a forward-locking rotating bolt. Fire modes are single-fire and fully automatic.

Oct 14, 2019 · Once dubbed the 'civil servant' by troops amid complaints over its reliability – the SA80 has been the go-to rifle for the British Armed Forces on operations all across the world to this day. The first prototypes were created in 1976, …

Feb 21, 2025 · Beretta Defence Technologies (BDT), the strategic alliance of holding companies under Italy’s Beretta Group, is finalising its bid for Project Grayburn: the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) initiative to replace the UK armed forces’ L85A3 (SA80) individual service weapon.

Feb 3, 2020 · The SA80 A2 L85 is a 5.56mm gas-operated assault rifle manufactured by Heckler & Koch. It is a member of the SA80 family of assault weapons and serves the British Armed Forces as individual weapon (IW) and light support weapon (LSW).

Jul 15, 2021 · When the SLR was replaced by the SA80, which occurred gradually over some years, the no longer required rifles used consistently across operations for more than 30 years were mainly destroyed. However, some were saved from the crusher and instead provided to countries including Sierra Leone.