In November 2018, we reported that the British Army was set to receive up to 44,000 upgraded L85A3/SA80A3s over the next 5 years. The contract was reported to be worth £75 million or $95.6 million. It has now been announced, by Heckler & Koch, that a contract has been agreed with the UK’s Ministry of Defence for a three-year programme, worth £15 million (or nearly $19 million), to upgrade an undisclosed number of SA80 rifles.

The contract is part of the British Army’s Equip to Fight Programme and also includes ‘costed options’ for further quantities of rifles to be upgraded through a two-year extension at a cost of £50 million ($62.5 million). The UK’s MoD have not issued a statement on the contract as yet, and it remains unclear if the earlier £95 million contract to upgrade nearly 50,000 rifles has been superseded or augmented by this one. It is likely that HK’s Oberndorf plant will produce new and refurbish old parts while assembly of rifles will take place at HK’s UK subsidiary at the Nottingham Small Arms Facility.

Check out our earlier post to see exactly what has been upgraded on the A3.

The L85A3 shown off as part of the British Army’s new Virtus equipment system (British Army/MOD)

Here’s HK’s press release about the contract:

Successful visit of the DSEI in London: Heckler and Koch, acting through their UK subsidiary NSAF Limited, have entered into a contractual arrangement with UK Ministry of Defence for the upgrade of a significant quantity of SA80 Assault rifles.

The initial 3-year £15 million pounds requirement lays the foundations for weapons enhancements through the Army’s Equip to Fight Programme and will upgrade the weapon system to the SA80A3 variant.

The contract contains costed options for enhancements to additional quantities of the SA80, and a two-year contract extension at an estimated value of £50 million pounds. Work on the initial buy and any follow on options will be undertaken at both the UK facility and in Germany.

The upgrades will incorporate a new Foregrip, an improved upper receiver, and extra safety features. The commitment between the Ministry of Defence and Heckler and Koch in entering the SA80 Upgrade programme embraces the confidence both parties have in the weapon, and each other.

To mark the significance of the award, Heckler and Koch were pleased to host a visit from UK MoD VIP’s and members of the MoD Project team at the DSEI in London.

The Group felt very honoured to be given the opportunity to support UK MoD, both now, and in the future.

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