UK Launches Project Grayburn To Replace The SA80

The UK Ministry of Defence has published an initial ‘Concept Stage’ tender for the replacement of the British military’s SA80 family of bullpup rifles. This preliminary tender notice officially launches Project Grayburn. The new rifle when selected will replace the SA80’s in-service variants including the L22, L98, L85A2 and the most recent mid-life upgrade - the L85A3. The UK is expected to require around 200,000 new rifles to replace the SA80 variants currently in service.

The notice, published on 13 January, stresses that ‘no investment decisions have been taken yet’ and that the tender notice is at the ‘Concept Stage’. It's worth noting that this type of notice is used to provide for highlighting potential future contracts and doesn't necessarily call for tender submissions. The notice serves as an update for industry vendors and lays out some detail on the project’s requirements. The notice states that the UK expects the new rifle to be manufactured in the UK to “enhance sovereign supply chains, generate employment, and provide a platform for exports.” Project Grayburn will also “consider establishing a strategic relationship to deliver, manage, spirally develop and support the weapons portfolio for Pj GRAYBURN systems, and in time, perhaps parts of/all the wider dismounted close combat weapons portfolio.” This indicates an interest in the successful industry partner using their UK facilities to support other small arms systems used by the UK. This is an interesting element as it enhances the longevity and business case for manufacturers establishing themselves in the UK.

The UK aims for Project Grayburn to deliver no less than five variants of the selected weapon:

1. Dismounted Close Combat (replacing SA80A3).
2. Dismounted Close Combat (short) (replacing SA80A3).
3. Personal Defence Weapon (replacing L22 Carbine).
4. Generalist (replacing SA80A2).
5. Cadet rifle (replacing L98 Cadet GP rifle).

This indicates that the Grayburn family of rifles will have varied barrel lengths and forend configurations. There may also be different variants for different roles with dismounted close combat troops getting a more specialised variant while those in the supporting echelons, who are statistically less likely to use their weapon, will have a smaller PDW or a ‘generalist’ variant with in a simpler configuration.

The notice suggests that this will ‘most likely be based upon a common lower receiver’. It also suggests that there is the potential to combine the Dismounted Close Combat (short) variant with the Dismounted Close Combat rifle itself or the personal defense weapon variant.

There is little technical detail on the type of weapon the UK is seeking in the published notice. It is yet to be confirmed what type of gas system, caliber or weapon configuration is desired. It also remains to be seen if the earlier Project Hunter trials, which selected the KAC KS-1 as the L403A1 Alternative Individual Weapon (AIW) in 2023, will inform the new project.

Whether the selected Grayburn rifle will be one with the form factor of the AR-15/M16 platform, with either a Stoner gas system or short-stroke gas piston, or perhaps something with a SCAR-style form factor, utilising a short-stroke gas piston, like FN's next generation SCAR, the HK433 or the CZ Bren 3 remains to be seen. What is almost certain is that the rifle selected won't be a bullpup.

Other elements of the tender notice explain that the rifles must deliver high reliability in all environments and climates, some of the variants will “employ signature reduction technology” (likely referring to suppressors and IR-reflective finishes/coatings) and the weapons will be “fitted with day-optics and have the ability to quickly integrate with in-line night vision optics.” Details of the requirements are scarce with the only nod toward calibre and terminal capability being a note that states that Project Grayburn “will look to provide sufficient lethality to defeat current and emerging body armour.”

While further details of what the British military is seeking with Project Grayburn are yet to be publicly released, many of the major small arms manufacturers including Heckler & Koch, Beretta Defense Technologies, SIG Sauer, and FN Herstal are already positioning themselves to make strong industrial cases alongside submitting their weapons for testing. Weapons we can expect to see submitted to Grayburn include Beretta’s NARP and SAKO’s ARG, Heckler & Koch’s HK416 and HK433, FN’s next generation SCAR and SIG Sauer's MCX Spear as well as likely entries from manufacturers such as Colt Canada, LMT, Knights Armament, Glock and CZ. 

The tender notice states that the Grayburn contract will run between April 2028 and 31 March 2045, this span of 17 years indicates that the replacement rate of in-service SA80s with the new rifles will be steady over the course of the contract period. As noted earlier, Grayburn is still at the initial concept stages and the UK Ministry of Defence has not yet made any investment decisions so it remains to be seen if these contract dates are realised. By 2045, the L85 will have been in service for 60 years.