After nearly four decades in service, the British Army’s SA80 rifle is finally on its way out. Project Grayburn, the Ministry of Defence’s programme to procure up to 180,000 new small arms, is now well underway, with several of the world’s leading manufacturers competing for one of the most significant small arms contracts in British military history. With a new Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting, this will be taking up some space in his in-tray, he should hopefully be in post for long enough to see it delivered.
The End of the SA80 Era
The SA80 family has been the standard-issue weapon of the British Armed Forces since 1987, when it replaced the L1A1 SLR. It has seen action in every major British deployment since, from the Gulf War and the Balkans to Afghanistan and Iraq. But, despite being a highly accurate rifle, its reputation has been troubled throughout its life. Early variants were plagued by reliability issues serious enough that Heckler & Koch were brought in to overhaul the design, producing the improved L85A2 in the early 2000s. A further upgrade, the L85A3, followed in 2018.
Pic of SA80 UK MOD © Crown copyright 2018
One of the main design aims of the SA80 was to create a rifle that was shorter than the well liked L1A1, the bullpup design allows the barrel to sit further back in the body of the rifle. Despite those H&K improvements, the SA80’s layout, with the action located behind the trigger, has long drawn criticism from troops, particularly for its dreadful left-handed ergonomics and its unsuitability for use in and around vehicles. With the SA80’s out-of-service date now set for 2035, the clock is ticking.
What Project Grayburn Requires
The MoD is seeking more than a straight rifle replacement. Project Grayburn calls for five variants built on a common platform: a standard dismounted close combat rifle, a short variant, a personal defence weapon, a generalist rifle, and a cadet rifle. The winning bidder will be expected to manufacture in the United Kingdom, a deliberate requirement aligned with the Land Industrial Strategy, aimed at creating skilled jobs and building sovereign supply chain resilience.
The intent is to replace not only the SA80 as the main assault rifle but to have 5 distinct variants, centred around a common lower receiver:
- Dismounted Close Combat (replacing SA80A3)
- Dismounted Close Combat (short) (replacing SA80A3)
- Personal Defence Weapon (replacing L22 Carbine)
- Generalist (replacing SA80A2)
- Cadet rifle (replacing L98 Cadet GP rifle)
Project Grayburn specifies that the system should deliver:
- Reliable across global environments
- Ambidextrous and user-friendly
- Lethality against emerging body armour
- Include signature reduction technology on some variants
- Modular with day-optics and night vision compatibility
- Manufactured in the United Kingdom to reinforce sovereign capability
There is a recognition here that buying an existing platform will be more cost effective, following the same route of the SA80 of design and manufacture just in the UK is not realistic or desirable. In many ways this project typifies the problems that the MoD has had in justifying procurement spend – there is huge government pressure outside of the department to deliver British jobs and manufacturing, whilst the most cost effective solution is something off the shelf with a proven track record that can easily be adapted to their specific requirements. Insisting on it being manufactured in the UK will go a long way to ticking both of these boxes.
Critically, the MoD also wants something more lethal than the current 5.56x45mm NATO round, which has a lot less stoping power than larger available rounds. That opens the door to a potential calibre change, a decision with significant implications for logistics, training, and NATO interoperability.
The Calibre Debate
The question of what cartridge Britain’s next rifle will fire is the most consequential aspect of Project Grayburn. Three options are on the table.
Staying with 5.56mm NATO offers simplicity. Existing training, ammunition stockpiles, and logistics chains remain intact, and the round remains the standard across most NATO allies. Both Heckler & Koch’s proposals (the HK416 and HK433) sit in this category.
The 6.5mm Creedmoor is already in British service on the L129A2 designated marksman rifle used by the Royal Marines, giving it a degree of established credibility. It offers improved range and terminal effect over 5.56mm without the weight penalty of larger rounds.
The 6.8x51mm Common Cartridge, developed under the US Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon programme and now fielded as the XM7, represents the most radical option. It promises significant lethality improvements and better penetration against body armour, but demands heavier ammunition loads and would see Britain diverge from standard NATO calibres, complicating joint operations.
No decision has been confirmed, and the MoD has not ruled anything out. It seems a stretch that we would move away from the 5.56 round, both financially and from the NATO interoperability angle
Other rifles already used by the British military
A handful of rifles other than the L85A are already in use by British forces. The KS-1 rifle (designated the L403A1 in UK service and can be seen in the header image of this article) is used by Royal Marines and some special ops units of the Army, the Royal Marines also use the Colt Canada C8 carbine. Both of these are chambered for 5.56×45mm NATO rounds. Procurement and supply of these has been patchy and the L85A3 remains by far the most common rifle in use.
The Special Forces have a preference for versions of the Colt Canada C8 and the Heckler & Koch HK416 as their primary assault rifles. The Royal Marines also use the Colt C8, rumours that they bought them second hand from the SBS are denied officially, but that’s the story I heard from a Royal…
The Contenders
Several manufacturers have thrown their hat into the ring:
Beretta Defence Technologies UK is among the most prominent, offering two platforms under its BDT banner: the Beretta New Assault Rifle Platform (NARP) and the Sako M23, the latter already adopted as the joint-service rifle of both Finland and Sweden. BDT are very keen to get this contract, and have gone further than most in meeting the sovereign manufacturing requirement, announcing plans to establish a production facility at its existing Skydock firearms test range in Lincolnshire. Should the bid succeed, the site, already over 400 hectares, would expand to include a new manufacturing building of more than 2,500 square metres, creating local skilled employment.
The rifle is chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO, with future variants designed for both 7.62×51mm NATO and the 6.5mm Creedmoor. The design prioritises ergonomics and reliability and is widely praised.
Heckler & Koch, who have a long relationship with the SA80 having carried out its A2 overhaul, are proposing the HK416 and HK433. In a clear signal of intent, H&K UK acquired Globe Engineering, a high-precision engineering firm based in Braintree, Essex, in March 2026, giving them domestic production capability to meet the manufacturing requirement.
Again the rifle fires the 5.56×45mm NATO round and have an enviable reputation.
SIG Sauer is promoting variants of its MCX platform, which is already in US service and is configurable across multiple calibres including 6.8x51mm, positioning SIG well should the MoD opt for the more powerful round.
https://www.sigsauer.com/firearms/rifles-pistols/sig-mcx.html
Other potential contenders include SSS Defence, which formally confirmed its intention to bid in February 2026, along with possible entries from CZ (the BREN), FN (the SCAR), and others.
What Comes Next
Project Grayburn is currently in its assessment phase, with a contract award anticipated in late 2026 or 2027 and fielding planned well ahead of the SA80’s 2035 retirement date. The MoD’s emphasis on UK manufacturing means that whoever wins, a new chapter in British small arms production may be about to begin, something that has been absent since the SA80 itself rolled off the production line in Nottingham in the 1980s and 90s.
For British soldiers, the question is a simple one: will the next rifle finally be one they can trust unconditionally? Project Grayburn suggests the answer is getting closer.
