The new assault rifle of the British

The United Kingdom has chosen Knight's Armament's KS-1 as the new L403A1 assault rifle. It will be issued to the Ranger battalions of the Army and parts of the Royal Marines Commandos.

The Alternative Individual Weapon (AIW) designated L403A1 is a new assault rifle equipped with a suppressor system to reduce muzzle signature and modern optical sighting, an LPVO by VORTEX – we're guessing Razor HD Gen III– with an attached AIMPOINT Acro on Reptilia Mount. The selected rifle is from KNIGHTS ARMAMENT and is designated KS-1. It is imported from the USA.

The AIW rifle procured by Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) under the "Projects Hunter" has an optic that allows the shooter to engage threats at longer distances, while the muzzle signature reduction system protects the AIW from detection by sight and sound.

An AR15 with Suppressor and LPVO

The Ranger Regiment, a key component of the Army Special Operations Brigade (ASOB), will receive the AIW during the course of this year.

Colonel Gareth Davies, one of the developers involved in the program, stated: "Project Hunter has successfully delivered a new weapon option for British defense. Currently, this weapon is being procured for the Army Special Operations Brigade (ASOB). It offers a significant increase in firepower capability, the system features one of the most powerful daylight target devices currently available. It is also important that this weapon system is further enhanced by our latest generation of night vision devices with which the ASOB is already equipped."

The L403A1 is a powerful, modern evolution of the Armalite rifle (AR). As an AR platform, it shares many similarities with the rifle systems used by many British allies.

An initial order of 1,620 AIW rifles worth £15 million has been placed, with the option to procure up to an additional 10,000 rifles worth £90 million over the next ten years under the contract. The AIW system complements the Army's current rifle, the L85A3, and is supplied by the Macclesfield-based company Edgar Brothers.

"Wasteful Spending" - Sharp Criticism from Britain

Not all share the enthusiasm of the procurers. British defense analyst Nicolas Drummond tartly remarks on Twitter: "It is hard to imagine that Project Hunter is more than a vanity project for Rangers and Commandos. It is a slap in the face to the British Land Industrial Strategy as it is not manufactured in the UK. The KS-1 has a hard-to-clean direct gas impingement system. And it is a pointless waste of money as the SA80 is set to be replaced by 2025. Procuring small niche weapon fleets at this time is an irresponsible use of limited resources."

Other weapons tested during the tender included the HK416A5, the SIG Sauer SPEAR-LT, a DANIEL DEFENSE M4, and - for the first time worldwide - the GR-115F, the GLOCK AR15 System. Other companies that are said to have submitted rifles included Colt Canada, Lantac, Haenel, and Steyr. ALL INFO on the new British assault rifle at ARMOURER'S BENCH.

KNIGHTS ARMAMENT online