G&G L85 A2 Airsoft Eelectric Gun Enfield SA-80 Great Britian Assualt Rifle

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SA80 (Small Arms for the 1980s) is a family of related arms that include the British Armed Forces's standard combat rifle. It is of the bullpup configuration. The SA80 was originally designed and manufactured by the Enfield Royal Small Arms Factory (now BAE Systems Land Systems Munitions & Ordnance), the origin of the earlier name, Enfield Weapon System (EWS), it was introduced into service in 1985. Due to reliability problems, Heckler & Koch (then a division of British Aerospace) were commissioned in 2000 by the Ministry of Defence to refurbish the SA80. The SA80 is likely to remain the primary infantry weapon in British use until 2015 or further since it has been revamped by H&K.

Contents [hide]
1 Development
2 Description
3 Accuracy
3.1 LSW
3.2 L22 Assault carbine
3.3 L98 Cadet GP
4 History
4.1 Criticisms
4.2 L85A2
5 References
6 External links
7 See also

[edit] Development
The basic action of the SA80 was derived from the Armalite AR-18, which was manufactured in Britain by Sterling Armament Ltd (and which was also the basis of the Singaporean SAR-80). The SA80 family was originally chambered for a 4.85 x 49 mm round, and was put forward by Britain as its proposal for the standard NATO rifle and round.[1] This followed a 1976 agreement to introduce a second NATO small arms round (alongside the 7.62 mm). The SA80 IW in the 4.85 mm round was designated XL64, while the LSW variant was designated XL65. A number of rifles and calibres were tested in comparative trials between 1977 and 1979. NATO ultimately approved the Belgian SS109 variant of the US 5.56 x 45 mm round on 28 October, 1980.[1]

In the end no NATO standard rifle was adopted, and the SA80 was redesigned for the 5.56mm (first for the US M193, then for the Belgian SS109/5.56 mm NATO). The 4.85 mm SA80-IW tested at the NATO small arms calibre trials was the XL64E5 (a variant for use by left-handed shooters was titled XL68E2). Redesigned for the 5.56mm, it became the XL70E3. The left-handed XL68 was also rechambered in 5.56 x 45 mm as the XL78. The 4.85 mm Light Support Weapon was titled the XL65E4 (XL69E1 for left-handed shooters), and in 5.56 mm ultimately became the XL73E3, noted for the full length receiver extension with the bipod under the muzzle now indicative of the type.[1]

Further development out of these so-called "Phase A"[1] pre-production prototypes led to the XL85 and XL86. While the XL85E1 and XL86E1 were ultimately adopted as the L85 and L86 respectively, a number of additional test models were produced. The XL85E2 and XL86E2 were designed to an alternate build standard with 12 components different from E1 variants, including parts of the gas system, bolt, and magazine catch. Three series of variants were created for "Environmental User Trials." XL85E3 and XL86E3 variants were developed with 24 modified parts, most notably a plastic safety plunger. The E4's had 21 modified parts, no modification to the pistol grip, and an aluminum safety plunger, unlike the E3 variants. Lastly, the E5 variants had 9 modified parts in addition to those from the E3/E4 variants.[1]

[edit] Description

An L85A1 field stripped.The SA80 family is made of four weapons: the L85 IW (Individual Weapon) or SA80A2, the L86 LSW (Light Support Weapon), the L22A1 Assault carbine (often referred to as the SA80A2 Carbine or SA80A2K) and the manually operated L98A1 CGP (Cadet General Purpose).

All four are similar in most respects � they all fire the 5.56 x 45 mm NATO cartridge from a 30-round detachable box magazine, and can mount the SUSAT (Sight Unit; Small Arms; Trilux), a 4x optical sight with a tritium-powered glowing pointer for limited night sighting as well as the CWS (Common Weapon Sight) � a "third generation" image intensifying sight for night use. The weapons are of the bullpup configuration with the pistol grip forward of the magazine and the mechanism in the buttstock. This allows the use of a long, accurate, free floating barrel in a weapon with compact dimensions. The weapon shares a resemblance to the EM-2, a bullpup rifle prototype produced in 1948 by the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield. Although the bullpup layout makes the EM-2 a design ancestor of the SA80, the resemblance is only skin-deep, as the rifles have very few mechanical similarities.

Rifles issued to Combat Arms are equipped with the SUSAT, while rifles issued to Combat Support Arms and Combat Service Support Arms, and cadets, are equipped with a simple iron sight incorporating a carrying handle. LSWs are issued with SUSATs in all cases, though they are usually seen fitted with iron sights for jungle use due to the short ranges likely to be encountered there.

[edit] Accuracy
Although the effective range is listed as 400 m by the MOD, the rifle is used to engage targets up to 500 m away in competitive military shooting, with good results. Competition-level shooters expect to hit at 400 m every time, and usually do so, showing the accuracy of the weapon. This is using the 4x SUSAT scope however, which becomes far less useful at close quarters. Most modern assault rifles use optical sights ranging from 1x to 3x magnification. For operational purposes, the effective range is often stated as 300 m as an individual shooter, or 600 m as a section (eight soldiers).

[edit] LSW
The LSW is a fire-team level magazine-fed light machine weapon. For this role it has a bipod, buttstrap and rear pistol grip, and has a different design of handguard. Its longer barrel also improves muzzle velocity and accuracy for a longer effective range. The weapon is otherwise identical to the basic L85 and the magazines and some internal parts are interchangeable The upgraded version has fewer interchangeable parts. Combined with the free-floating nature of the heavy barrel and the optical performance of the SUSAT, this gives the weapon excellent accuracy. From its inception, the LSW has been a target of criticism for its poor reliability and inability to deliver sustained automatic fire.[2] In a tacit acknowledgement of the LSW's shortcomings, it has been redesignated as a DMR (Designated Marksman Rifle) with the introduction of the 5.56 mm FN Minimi, a belt-fed light machine gun, as a replacement light support weapon.

[edit] L22 Assault carbine
For issue to tank crews in the British Army, the L22A1 (formerly referred to as the L85A2 Carbine or SA80A2K) was set to replace the standard size L85A2, The Assault carbine had a barrel shortened by about 1 foot (30 cm). The forward handguard was replaced with a vertical grip, as used on other short barrelled weapons. It also has a picatinny rail above the grip for attachments such as a torch. A smaller version of the SUSAT sight is installed on it, the difference being the tritium recticle is protruded from the top instead of the bottom like the standard issue SUSAT's found on L85A2's). It was to be issued with a 20-round magazine to give better balance, but also takes the 30-round magazine. The L22A2 features accessory rails instead of the L22A1's fixed front grip. However, the carbine was never produced in vast numbers, and almost all tank crews carry the full size SA80, or rely on their sidearm for defence.

In 2006 a decision was made by the British Ministry of Defence[citation needed] that the carbine version of the SA80 is to be issued to Apache pilots of the Army Air Corps rather than the tank crews. This was based on the fact that the tank crews can use the standard L85A2 when they engage in combat, whereas the helicopter pilots would use the carbine version only in extreme circumstances, in lieu of a sidearm.

[edit] L98 Cadet GP
Main article: L98A1
The L98A1 Cadet GP is broadly similar to the IW, but lacks a gas system and fire select lever. They were built in order to allow Cadets (such as those of the Combined Cadet Force or Army Cadet Force) to train on a non-repeating version of the IW - the working parts are re-cocked by hand after each shot, using a large cocking handle. This is connected to the bolt by an external rod, and runs on a slide on the side of the body well forward of the working parts, making it far easier to use in the prone position than that of the IW or LSW (which do not require frequent manual recocking). However, because the cocking handle is connected to the rod by a pin, it has been known to occasionally break[citation needed].

L85A1 in use by C Company, 1 STAFFS, in a live firing exercise, during Operation GRANBY, 6 January 1991The L98A1 does have some of the shortfalls that the IW and LSW versions have. For instance, its higher weight, compared to other rifles, results in weaker cadets having difficulty handling it. Jams are also frequent as cadets misuse the rifle by incorrectly operating the cocking handle, either by not pulling the handle back hard or fast enough, or by pushing the cocking handle forwards after pulling it back although this sort of action on the standard SA80 is essential to ensure smooth operation of the weapon . However, it is rare for the weapon to seriously malfunction under normal firing conditions.

The Annual Shooting Conference verified the rumor of a change of cadet rifle. It has been confirmed that in 2009, the Upgrade of cadet rifles to single shot L85's will be complete, the starting date is TBA, however some contingents have started using them, if not being issued them.[citation needed]

[edit] History
Bullpup designs were not new to the British arms establishment. Enfield had earlier submitted the EM-2 bullpup design using an intermediate .280 round when NATO standardization had been first addressed in 1951.

When a smaller calibre than the current 7.62 mm round was suggested for NATO standardisation, the Royal Small Arms Factory developed the XL65 bullpup rifle to fire the new .190 in (4.85 mm) round it was submitting to the NATO new cartridge selection trials announced in 1977. The XL65's operating mechanism was borrowed almost in its entirety from the Armalite AR-18 (the Armalite's patents having expired), quantities of which had been acquired by the British Army for test and evaluation purposes. The 4.85 mm round was "necked down" but otherwise identical to the standard U.S. 5.56 mm cartridge for the M16 assault rifle. It was unsuccessful, and the 5.56 mm SS109 round was accepted as NATO standard. When the American calibre was selected, the XL65 was hastily rechambered to fire the new NATO 5.56 mm SS109 standard cartridge. Upon adoption, the rifle became known as the L85.

Introduction of IW and LSW coincided with the reorganisation of infantry rifle sections into two identically equipped fire-teams, each with three IWs and one LSW. This plan was probably one of the tactical factors leading to the LSW.

[edit] Criticisms

In exercise before the Gulf War with C Company, 1 STAFFSThe initial versions of the L85 and LSW gained a reputation as being unreliable[2] and somewhat fragile.[3] The problems began during evaluation trials. The main point of contention was the fact that the L85 lacked a magazine release guard, which meant that the release had a bad habit of catching on a soldier�s webbing/belt kit and ejecting the magazine. A release catch guard was first added to a single rifle by S/SGT Michael Pen-Collings of REME while based in Tidworth barracks after troops returned from a tab holding the magazines. The design of the guard was slightly changed and then added to all rifles. The other major flaw was the fact that the walls of the receiver were so thin that the bolt could be stopped from moving by squeezing too hard or denting the chassis. Though that was not the only problem with the framework, the various plastic parts on the weapon were of an overall poor quality and were known to break or fall apart if not handled with care. The gas mechanism was also notorious for occasionally popping open the top cover and needed to be taped down with gaffer tape.

The shortcomings of the rifle were not limited solely to the weapon. Problems also lay with the magazine design and the materials sourced for its construction. The springs used in the magazines were of poor quality, and while the magazine had a maximum capacity of 30 rounds, this was not recommended as it was known to put too much pressure on the spring, inevitably causing a stoppage. The soldier�s work-around was to fill the magazine with 25 or so rounds as the reduction in pressure made the magazines more reliable. This problem was not fully corrected until Heckler & Koch redesigned the magazine in 2000.

Though not a fault of the rifle itself, an early batch of L85 rifles had incompatibility problems with the then standard-issue mosquito repellent 'melting' (pitting) the butt of the rifle. This problem was later rectified when the standard-issue mosquito repellent was changed to an L85-friendly variant.

Some of the rifle's problems were corrected with the A1 version which became the main production model, but complaints over reliability in service continued.[2] The weapons were criticised for ejection jams, often attributed to a cocking handle that sometimes deflected empty cartridges back into the ejector port and also due to a sensitivity to dirt. Reports by H&K suggested that over-zealous cleaning had a detrimental effect on the rifle. This includes using abrasives on parts not suited to them, as well as simple over-cleaning. However, during service in Kuwait and Afghanistan, the weapon would frequently malfunction when not cleaned thoroughly and often.

The SA80 family of infantry arms have been severely criticised for their weight;[3] approximately 1 kg heavier than other 5.56 mm weapons, and heavier than most 7.62 mm selective-fire infantry rifles of prior years. While additional weight can help reduce recoil and increase accuracy of an infantry arm, it is questionable whether the additional gain in accuracy is of any benefit in a 5.56 mm infantry rifle or light support weapon. Moreover, much of the weight is in the butt of the weapon, requiring more weight in the front handguard to retain balance and pointing qualities.

Other criticisms have been that during extreme conditions, the weapons lock up, or demonstrate a slower rate of fire. Although this has not explicitly been confirmed by the British government, many soldiers complained that while in terrain such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Russia, the weapons would malfunction due to heat or cold alternately expanding or contracting metal parts inside the weapon, causing stoppages.[4][2]

Soldiers of the Brigade of Gurkhas equipped with the L85 rifle and L86 LSW with yellow Blank-firing attachment visible.The L85/L85A1's right-handed ejection port and reciprocating bolt handle make the rifle impossible to fire from the left shoulder, as in a normal firing position these parts would rest against the side of the firer's left cheek.

Several other criticisms have been made of the rifle's design. The SA80 has been criticised for numerous malfunctions (such as failure to properly feed cartridges), frequently causing stoppages. For many years, the SA80 was not available in a grenadier version with underslung grenade launcher, though the American M16 series of rifles had possessed this capability for decades in the form of the M203.

The bayonet, while less important on today's battlefield, is also the source of some criticism. A comparably minor flaw is that the bayonet's handle is metal and touches the barrel, and it can get hot very rapidly during shooting. A further set of problems arises from the metal used to make the blade, many users have complained about it bending and in some cases the blade breaking or shattering. There is, however, limited official documentation on this.

This poor reputation lead to regular criticism by British soldiers and marines, a fact picked up by the UK media,[2] for example the Bremner, Bird and Fortune satirical comedy documentary Between Iraq and a Hard Place included the line: "The SA80 is a lethal weapon, especially for the person trying to fire it," stolen from a description of the Vietnam War era M16. The writer Andy McNab stated in his book Bravo Two Zero, that the British Army procured a "Rolls-Royce in the SA80, albeit a prototype Rolls-Royce." Because of the poor performance of the L85A1, the rifle's export sales were largely a failure. To date, the only other nations to use the SA80 are Jamaica, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, all of whom received quantities of the SA80 as foreign aid.[3][2]

[edit] L85A2
In 1997 the SA80 was dropped from the NATO Nominated Weapons list, the list of those weapons used for testing ammunition that is seeking NATO qualification.[5] To all intents and purposes this was a vote of no confidence in the weapon. Soon afterwards an SA80 upgrade programme commenced. In 2000 Heckler & Koch, at that time owned by Royal Ordnance, were contracted to fix the problems. Two hundred thousand SA80s were remanufactured at a cost of �400 each, producing the A2 variant of the weapon. By 2002 the upgraded versions were deployed in first line formations; however, by 2006 the A2 was in use even in Army Training Regiments for new recruits. The upgrade involved replacement of many internal parts and has vastly increased reliability, to the point of making it one of the most reliable of bullpup configuration weapons[6].

In 2002, trials conducted by the British Army's Infantry Trials and Development Unit of the indicated that the SA80 rifle performed "very favourably to its nearest rival", encountering only 51 stoppages during a demonstration involving the firing of 24,750 rounds, representing a Mean Rounds Between Failure Rate of one every 2,719 rounds. According to the ITDU, the SA80 "therefore achieved a 95% success rate, compared with the operational requirement, which stipulates 90%. These results compare very favorably to its nearest rival"[6]. According to Jane's IDR, other weapons tested included the Diemaco C7, Heckler & Koch G36, and Steyr Aug, all of which were surpassed by the L85A2 in both accuracy and reliability.

However, the A2 was again criticised while in active service with the Royal Marines in 2002 in Afghanistan. According to the Marines, the upgraded A2 version of the SA80 was too difficult to clean and prone to jamming in conditions of heat, cold, sand, and dust.[4][2] An official enquiry concluded that the Marines were not cleaning their rifles frequently enough or in an 'approved' manner. The Sunday Telegraph claimed the inquiry's findings infuriated senior officers in the Royal Marines who described the conclusion in the inquiry as a "whitewash".[7] There have however been no similar complaints from any formation of the British Army since 2002

Weight remains the L85A2's most cited drawback. The L85A2 is around a kilogram heavier than other, 5.56mm rifles employed in similar roles.

The adoption of the L85A2 version of the SA80 is not universal within the British Armed Forces. Many specialist UK units, such as the SAS, SBS, the Brigade Patrol Troop of 3 Commando Brigade and the Pathfinder Platoon have continued to use AR-15 rifle variants (Canadian C-7 and C-8 carbine), referred to as Armalites, rather than the SA80 siting their different weapon requirements, chronic problems with the SA80's extreme-weather performance and reliability,[4]. However the Brigade Patrol Troop have since switched to the SA80A2, replacing the C-7 and C-8[citation needed].

In a further Heckler & Koch upgrade, a number of L85A2 rifles are now being fitted with the HK AG36 40 mm grenade launcher in a configuration similar to the M203, called the UGL. Problems were experienced with availability of these rife/grenadier adaptations and their grenade ammunition, and they have not yet been extensively distributed or used by large numbers of soldiers or marines. The addition of the UGL adds another 3.30 lb (1.49 kg) to the L85A2 rifle's weight. The UGL is intended to replace the Rifle Grenade General Service previously used with the L85A1/A2.

The SA80 family is now an old design which has not been manufactured for a number of years. Replacement is scheduled for 2015 as the existing weapons wear out