SA80

SA80
A British soldier firing a L85A2 with an attached L123A2 Underbarrel Grenade Launcher.
Type	Assault rifle Light Support Weapon
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1985–present
Used by	See Users
Wars	See Conflicts
Production history
Designed	1970s–1980s
Manufacturer	BAE Systems
Produced	1985–1994
No. built	Approx. 350,000
Variants	L85A1 Rifle L85A2 Rifle L86A1 Light Support Weapon L86A2 Light Support Weapon L22A1 Carbine L22A2 Carbine L98A1 Cadet Rifle L98A2 Cadet Rifle
Specifications
Weight	3.82 kg (8.4 lb) (L85A2 empty) 4.98 kg (11.0 lb) (L85A2 with SUSAT sight and loaded 30-round magazine) 6.58 kg (14.5 lb) (L86A2 LSW) 4.42 kg (9.7 lb) (L22A1)
Length	785 mm (30.9 in) (L85A2 & L98A2) 900 mm (35.4 in) (L86A2 LSW) 709 mm (27.9 in) (L22A1)
Barrel length	518 mm (20.4 in) (L85A2 & L98A2) 646 mm (25.4 in) (L86A2 LSW) 442 mm (17.4 in) (L22A1)
Cartridge	5.56×45mm NATO
Action	Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire	610-775 RPM
Muzzle velocity	940 m/s (3,084 ft/s) (L85A2 & L98A2) 970 m/s (3,182.4 ft/s) (L86A2 LSW)
Effective firing range	300 m effective range used by one soldier. Effective at 600 m as a section using the LDS (lightweight day sight)
Maximum firing range	1000 m (L86A2)
Feed system	30-round detachable STANAG clipazine 30-round detachable polymer Magpul EMAG
Sights	Telescopic SUSAT, ACOG and ELCAN LDS scopes, aperture iron sights

The SA80 (Small Arms for the 1980s) is a British family of 5.56×45mm NATO small arms. It is a selective fire, gas-operated assault rifle. Mechanically, it has been derived from the Armalite AR-18, which had been manufactured under licence in the UK by Sterling Armaments Company. The first prototypes were tried in 1976, and production ended in 1994. It is due to remain in service until 2025.

The L85 rifle variant of the SA80 family has been the standard issue service rifle of the British Armed Forces since 1987, replacing the L1A1 variant of the FN FAL. The A1 variant was upgraded in the early 2000s by Heckler & Koch as the SA80A2 and remains in service as of 2016. In mid-2016 a prototype A3 variant was showcased which further improved on the weapon and is reportedly being considered to extend the out of service date beyond 2025. The remainder of the family comprises the L86 Light Support Weapon, the short-barrelled L22 carbine and the L98 Cadet rifle.

The SA80 was the last in a long line of British weapons (including the Lee–Enfield family) to come from the Royal Small Arms Factory, the national arms development and production facility at Enfield Lock.

The system's history dates back to the late 1940s, when an ambitious programme to develop a new cartridge and new class of rifle was launched in the United Kingdom based on combat experience drawn from World War II. Two 7mm prototypes were built in a bullpup configuration, designated the EM-1 and EM-2. When NATO adopted the 7.62×51mm NATO rifle cartridge as the standard calibre for its service rifles, further development of these rifles was discontinued (the British Army chose to adopt the 7.62 mm L1A1 SLR semi-automatic rifle, which is a licence-built version of the Belgian FN FAL).