By Fire and Steel - The History of the British Infantry Weapon: Ep 9 - The SA80

The British Army goes 5.56mm. Here we look at the SA80 family of rifles, a controversial range fo weapons that experienced years of research and development, and a shaky start through its first A1 iteration to becoming a battle-proven design in the form of its A2 and A3 models. This family of rifles has seen considerable service since its adoption in 1985, including the first Gulf War, the Balkans, the Iraq War, and operations in Afghanistan. In this episode we look at the whole family, the prototypes, the carbines and support weapon variants, examine how these have evolved, and what impact they have had on the British Army soldier. No copyright infringement is intended.