A new assault rifle for the Jagdkommando

10/17/2023By Redaktion

Bundesheer Clawgear Corvus Defensio Österreich

Rumors have been circulating for some time: The Jagdkommando of the Austrian Armed Forces is getting a new assault rifle. Amid various speculations that always circulate ( "It will be an AR15", etc...), the savvy Austrian knows that things move slowly in the country, contrary to what many wish for. Especially in the military, conservatism prevails: so the new assault rifle of the Jagdkommando is actually the old assault rifle of the Jagdkommando. But different. It remains the Steyr AUG/StG77 - but in a completely new configuration. The old A2 Commando has now become the "role model" for the "modernization" of the standard assault rifles of the Army, thus the A1 has become A1 MOD – SPARTANAT has reported and criticized the weapons.

So this is the new assault rifle of the Jagdkommando. Well, not exactly, because the one in the picture is a civilian weapon with a black stock, which also does not have all the features of the military weapon. Brand new at JAGD & SPORT is this Steyr AUG A3 MII now available. The text there says to us:

The STEYR AUG A3 SA M II is the latest development stage of the legendary STEYR StG 77, which has been continuously developed since 1977 in cooperation with national and international authorities.

Features:

Both-sided attachment for QD sling swivels
Separate Picatinny rail

M-Lok handguard with mounting options at 1:30, 3:00, 4:30, 6:00, 7:30, 9:00, and 10:30 o'clock - Foldable charging handle

What has changed on the weapon

What we know so far about the new assault rifle of the Jagdkommando, which is set to be issued later this year: Besides the very noticeable new rail - more on that below - there are other modifications to the weapon. No, the internals, the firing system, has not changed. However, the military weapons are getting the new trigger from KAWATEC, which allows for smoother, more precise pulling. This trigger, slightly modified from the original KAWATEC model, is allegedly going to be available later as a tuning part for the AUG directly from STEYR.

We do not know if there will be any changes to the magazine holder, but it is possible that the very intuitive KAWATEC magazine holder could appear. Or not. The shell deflector is now also standard at STEYR: you just have to drill two holes in the housing if you like it.

The rail is quite intriguing, and is already being offered at JAGD & SPORT as a "upgrade kit AUG A3 M II Black Long Rail, Handguard and Heat Shield." The mounting points for the QD sling swivels seem to have been inspired by the CORVUS DEFENSIO Handguard, and the handguard bears a strong resemblance to CLAW GEAR, the whole world is full of inspirations. We are very curious to see how well the slim STEYR handguard manages heat during heavy shooting without getting too hot.

The graduations on the rail are practical, as they now allow the Laser-Light Module VarioRay – HERE in the SPARTANAT Review – instead of being mounted on the side of the weapon, it can now shine in front of the muzzle, in the ideal position. Perhaps it is time for the Jagdkommando to acquire the successor model (that would be our tip for them).

The New Optics Set-Up

And what optics will the new Jagdkommando use? The A2 Commando housing is disappearing because, in combination with the AIMPOINT COMP M2/M3, it was considered too heavy, especially since the integrated 3x optic was actually only used as a red dot carrier, as special forces tend to work at shorter distances. They will likely stick to the red dot: we wouldn't be surprised to see another AIMPOINT on the new weapon, stylish and practical would be a T2 with UNITY TACTICAL FAST Mount – HERE in the SPARTANAT Review. Logically and practically, it would make sense to have a magnifier behind it that can be flipped up in case longer distances need to be shot.

This would be our assessment for the upcoming StG77 in its latest version for the Jagdkommando, and we are curious to see how it will finally look. As always, we are reminded of one of our favorite writers: "Everything needs to change so that everything remains as it is," as stated in the book “The Leopard” by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa.

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