Project Grayburn

Project Grayburn is an initiative by the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom to find a replacement for the current assault rifle in service with the British Armed Forces, the SA80, the first versions of which entered service in 1985.

Requirements

The out-of-service date for the current SA80 L85A3 rifle is projected to be 2030. Project Grayburn will have to consider whether to retain the ammunition now used by the SA80, the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge, or to adopt a more lethal successor as the current round has been found to be less effective over longer ranges and against enemies wearing body armour. Possible candidates for a new round may be the 6.8×51mm Common Cartridge developed for the US Next Generation Squad Weapon, or the 6.5mm Creedmoor cartridge already in use by the Royal Marines for their L129A2 designated marksman rifle. Other considerations for any new weapon will be reliability, interoperability and ease of maintenance. It also has to be decided whether to retain a bullpup design, or a more conventional design like the KS-1 rifle in service with the Royal Marines and the Ranger Regiment.^[1] The number of weapons required is expected to be somewhere between 150,000 and 180,000 new rifles.^[2]

Contenders

Beretta Defence Technologies (BDT) have announced that they will be putting forward two rifles for consideration; the Beretta New Assault Rifle Platform, an evolved version of the AR-15 rifle, and the Sako M23, also based on the AR-15. Both are currently chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition. BDT already has a facility for weapons testing and manufacturing in Lincolnshire.^[3]

SIG Sauer have also declared an intention to submit designs; possibly the 5.56mm SIG MCX or the 6.8mm M7. A British subsidiary of SIG was established in 2023 in association with Accuracy International.^[4]

Heckler & Koch, who upgraded and now service the current SA80 family, have suggested that they might submit the HK416 and the HK433, both in 5.56mm calibre. The HK416 is already in service with the US, Germany, France and Norway. The company has a facility in the United Kingdom to support the SA80, which could be repurposed to manufacture a future rifle.^[5]

Progress

In a written answer to a question in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom on 12 May 2025, Maria Eagle, the Minister of State for Defence Procurement and Industry, stated that Project Grayburn was "currently in the concept phase" and was expected to enter the "assessment phase" in 2026.^[6]