Why FN Can't Sell Britain Its Own Machine Gun | The FN MAG, the L7A2 and Project Cairns

Why can't FN sell Britain its own machine gun? FN Herstal designed the general purpose machine gun. It owns a weapons factory in Kent. And in June 2026 the Ministry of Defence awarded a ten-year, £70m contract for the L7A2 — without competition — to Heckler & Koch. The reason is not price, and it is not politics. Enfield built this gun for twenty-seven years. What Britain lost was not the factory. This is the story of the paperwork paradox: how a weapon designed in Belgium, built in Britain, and adopted by more than ninety countries came to be sold to the British Army by a German company — because the one thing that matters in defence procurement is not who makes the gun, but who holds its safety case. From the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield to the sole-source contract at Nottingham, this is how Britain lost the ability to supply its own general purpose machine gun, and why Project Cairns — the programme meant to replace it — was described by a defence minister as "not a project of record." Chapters 0:00 The Gun FN Can't Sell 1:09 An Upside-Down Rifle 2:32 Enfield's Gun 3:57 Ninety Countries 5:36 Two Failed Successors 7:23 The Safety Case 9:33 Not a Project of Record — SOURCES Primary documentation referenced in this video: Find a Tender — GPMG System (H&K), Project TROUBLER, Project SHAMER, FNHUK Heavy Machine Gun MLI Hansard — written answers on Project Cairns and GPMG out-of-service dates (UIN 61043) FN Herstal and Heckler & Koch company records and press releases British Army equipment publications Corrections are pinned and addressed in the comments. — EverythingArmy covers British Army procurement, doctrine and equipment. Analysis is grounded in primary sources — government notices, parliamentary records and manufacturer documentation. Disclaimer: This video is created for educational and historical purposes only. It does not provide instructions on how to assemble, modify, or use a firearm. All content is intended to comply with YouTube’s policies and community guidelines. Any external footage or clips used are included under fair use for the purposes of commentary, criticism, and education.