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Designed to fire the standard
NATO 5.56mm x 45mm round the SA 80 is fitted with a x4 telescopic (SUSAT)
sight as standard.
The total buy for SA 80 was for 332,092 weapons.
Issues
of the weapon are believed to have been made as follows:
|
Royal Navy |
7,864 |
|
Royal Marines |
8,350 |
|
Royal Air Force |
42,221 |
|
MoD Police |
1,878 |
|
Army |
271,779 |
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At 1991/92 prices the total
cost of the SA 80 Contract was in the order of £384.16 million.
By mid-1995, some 10,000 SA 80 Night Sights and 3rd Generation Image Intensifier
Tubes, for use with SA 80, had been delivered. Since the introduction of the
SA 80, the trials carried out during development have borne fruit.
In 1993
the Infantry Trials and Development Unit (ITDU) at Warminster in Wiltshire
conducted comparative tests on both the SA 80 and the SLR using the old SLR
APWT (Annual Personal Weapons Test) for both weapons.
The results were as follows: |
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There is no doubt that today,
British Army rifle shooting across the board represents a degree of
accuracy previously considered unachievable.
Note: In the trial, based on
the Annual Personal Weapons Test, which every soldier is measured by, the
highest possible score was 70; the pass mark 49 and the marksmanship
standard was 60 out of a possible 70. The APWT has since been amended to
take into account the greater accuracy of the SA 80.
The weapon has had a mixed
press and much has been made of the 32 modifications that have been made
to the SA 80 since 1983. Further modifications have recently had to be made
to enable the weapon to be more reliable when firing 5.56mm ammunition
supplied by other NATO countries.
Although there are many critics outside
of the services, in the main the serving soldiers that we have spoken to
have praised the weapon, and those that have had experience on both the
SLR and SA 80 are unstinting in their praise for the newer system.
Our own enquiries suggest that
the SA 80 is highly accurate, it is easily handled and comfortable to use.
The weapon is finely engineered and perhaps lacks the robust operational
durability of some of its predecessors. It is intolerant of dust and dirt
and is inclined to stoppages in dry, dusty conditions. It is the first
British short assault carbine into service, it will not be the last. It
compares favourably with anything else of its type available on the
current world market.
The weapon capability has also
been extended by the introduction into service of a bullet catcher rifle
grenade used in conjunction with a sight fitting issued to individual
riflemen and section commanders. Once pulled down over the barrel of the
SA 80 the grenade is launched by firing a bullet into it which projects it
accurately up to 150m and provides an area suppression capability out to
300m.
5.56mm
Individual Weapon (SA 80) & SA 80A
Specifications |
|
332,092
in service |
|
Effective Range |
400m |
|
Muzzle Velocity |
940m/s |
|
Rate of Fire |
from 610-775rpm |
|
Weight |
4.98kg (with 30
round magazine) |
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Length Overall |
785mm |
|
Barrel Length |
518mm |
|
Trigger
Pull |
3.12
- 4.5kg |
SA 80A2
Following some severe
criticism of the weapons mechanical reliability, the improved SA 80A2 was
introduced into service during late 2001. Some thirteen changes have been
made to the weapon's breech block, gas regulation, firing-pin, cartridge
extractor, recoil springs, cylinder and gas plug, hammer, magazine and
barrel. Since modification the weapon has been extensively trialled.
In the mean time, before
failure (MTBF) figures from the firing trials for stoppages, following
rounds fired are as follow:
|
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SA 80A2 |
LSW |
|
UK (temperate) |
31,500 |
16,000 |
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Brunei (hot/wet) |
31,500 |
9,600 |
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Kuwait (hot/dry) |
7,875 |
8,728 |
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Alaska (cold/dry) |
31,500 |
43,200 |
The first SA 80A2 were in
operational service during early 2002 and these weapons were in
service across the army by late 2004. The cost of the programme was
£92 million and some 200,000 weapons were modified by the time the
programme ended in May 2006.
In late 2001 the British
Army Combat Shooting Team took part in the Australian Army's skill -at-arms
meeting in Brisbane using the new SA 80A2. Teams from eight nations took
part in the competition and the British Army team won. The team's SA 80s
fired 21,000 rounds in nine days without a stoppage.
Photo
Crown Copyright
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