Why did'nt we pick????

[KIMBO65]

Hi, do any military members know why the British army did'nt choose the AR180 or the FNC rifle over the SA80 ????. I remember seeing a soldier at a UK range shooting an FNC back in the late 70's.

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[RCS]

They did choose a bolt, bolt carrier, gas system and carrier guide rods that had similarities to the Armalite AR 18 in the SA80

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Well, sort of....

I once heard the SA80 described as " An AR18 shoved up the backside of an EM-2".

Basically, a LOT of military procurement is based on arcane politics; which member of the "House" has a "factory" in their electorate etc. A certain amount of "national pride" / "not invented here" is also in play.

Given all that, "buying local" can be very handy if a country finds itself in a shooting war and with very few friends nearby.

The other side of that is the obsession for "buying in" a design and then "modifying for local conditions". Committees are ALWAYS involved.