FNH’s Sniper Support Rifle has been approved for production by USSOCOM and will be fielded in May 2011. It has been given the designation MK 20 MOD 0 SSR. FN SCAR fans will be happy at this announcement.

From the press release …

The MK 20 was originally designated as the Sniper Variant of the SCAR Heavy now known as the MK17. Upon the MK 17 reaching the status of Operationally Effective / Operationally Suitable and Sustainable, the sniper community within SOF focused on refining the Sniper Variant to more suit the needs of long range, precision shooting. With the revisions, the Sniper Variant weapon was military-type designated as the MK 20.

The MK 20 features an extended receiver which provides the additional rail space required for mounting in-line night vision and thermal devices with standard/sniper day optics, a non-folding precision stock with an adjustable cheek piece and length of pull that provides adjustability and a more rigid firing position for making long range target engagements, a beefed up barrel extension and barrel profile to reduce whip and improve accuracy, and an enhanced modular trigger that can be configured for single-stage or two-stage operation, requires no adjustments, and is ruggedized for field use. As a part of the SCAR Family of Weapons, the MK 20 shares a high percentage of parts commonality (over 60%) with the MK 17, maintains the enhanced ergonomics and improves accuracy.

I wonder what has happened to the M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System. The Army seems to be sticking with the Remington 700 bolt action rifle (M24 and new XM2010) and USSOCOM is going with the SSR.

[Hat Tip: No Lawyers – Only Guns and Money]