BREAKING: UK Selects New Assault Rifle
The United Kingdom has selected the Knight’s Armament Company KS-1 as the new individual weapon for the new Ranger battalions and the Royal Marines Commandos. The requirement for the new rifle was released back in August 2021.
The UK’s Project Hunter was launched to select a new Alternative Individual Weapon (AIW) to replace the SA80/L85 series of rifles and Colt Canada L119s in service with the Rangers and RM Commandos. The Knight’s KS-1 has been selected as the L403A1, beating off reported competition from Heckler & Koch, SIG Sauer, Daniel Defense and Glock.
The new rifles will supplement the L85A2 and L85A3 which currently equips the majority of the UK armed forces. The rifles will be procured via UK-based company Edgar Brothers and the £90 million ($110 million) contract will see 10,000 new rifles delivered over the next decade. An initial £15 million order for 1,620 AIW systems has been placed with the British Army fielding them with the Army Special Operations Brigade, with the brigade expected to receive the first rifles by the end of 2023. The Royal Marines’ ‘strike companies’ and Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron will also be among the first to receive the L403A1.
The UK’s Minister for Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge said:
“This is another example of how we are committed to investing in the most advanced battlefield equipment to back our troops on the battlefield. This advanced rifle’s ability to help soldiers maintain the stealth edge not only protects them but delivers war-fighting advantage over our adversaries.”
Interestingly, the UK Ministry of Defence’s press release emphasises that as an AR-pattern rifle the L403A1 “shares much in common with the rifle systems used by many of the UK’s allies. Given their specialist role, and the critical task of working with and alongside many of the UK’s allies, the platform will enable ASOB to share skills and drills in an efficient manner.”
So what does the Alternative Individual Weapon (AIW) system include? The system builds around the Knight’s KS-1 but also includes a magnified optic from Vortex, an Aimpoint ACRO P-2 red dot and the Knight’s QDC/MCQ-PRT suppressor. The prime contractor for the project, Edgar Brothers, are responsible for the sourcing and assembly of the AIW’s accessories.
The KS-1 is the latest iteration of the SR-16 series, it has a 13.7in barrel and weighs 6.88lbs unloaded, its overall length is 32.2in with the stock collapsed and 34.2in extended. The QDC/MCQ-PRT weighs an additional 13.9oz and adds just over 2 inches to the weapon’s length.
DE&S Dismounted Close Combat Portfolio Leader, Colonel Paul Cummings, said:
“Project Hunter has been a fabulous example of close collaboration with the user community and strong engagement with industry to deliver game-changing capability at pace. This is another example of the enormous commitment of the men and women in DCC to deliver battle-winning capability into the hands of the user and I’m enormously proud of what they have achieved. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Edgar Brothers as we move into the production phase.”
The selection of the new rifle forms part of the Royal Marines’ larger modernization push under the Commando Force Programme with Captain Nick Unwin RN, Commando Force Programme Director, noting that: “Delivery of quality equipment such as we see today is a genuine increase in capability and capacity for the UK’s Commando Force Strike Teams and offers significant tactical advantage to the user.” This will also see a new helmet from Gentex and Fused Binocular Night Vision devices from L3Harris adopted.
While the British military have used AR-pattern rifles since the 1960s in various roles, Project Hunter and the Alternative Individual Weapon represents a major procurement and it remains to be seen how it will influence Project Grayburn – the effort to select a replacement for more than 150,000 SA80s set to begin in 2025.