Knight’s Armament Company have released a statement on the selection of the KAC KS-1 by the UK military. The selection of the KS-1 for elements of the UK’s Royal Marines Commandos and new Ranger Regiments was announced last week.

Knight’s Armament KS-1 @ TFB:

• BREAKING: UK Selects New Assault Rifle
• POTD: Britain’s Commandos New L403A1 in Winter – Knight’s KS-1 Rifle
• Aimpoint – Supplier Of Red Dot Sights For L403A1
• Edgar Brothers Share Details on UK’s New Alternative Individual Weapon System

Royal Marines Commando with L403A1 with L900A1 optics suite (Royal Marines/Royal Navy)

Knight’s Armaments’ UK representatives Edgar Brothers have also shared a breakdown of the L403A1 – Alternative Individual Weapon and its components and accessories. The L403A1 combines the Knight’s Armament KS-1 and QDC/MCQ-PRT suppressor with a 1-10 LPVO from Vortex and an Aimpoint ACRO P-2.

In their statement, Knight’s Armament emphasised the tough requirements of the program and the longevity of Eugene Stoner’s rifle, noting that the KS-1 is ‘the most advanced and feature-rich AR-type rifle’.

New L403A1 (via Edgar Brothers)

Here’s what Knight’s Armament had to say on the selection of the KS-1:

Knights Armament Company is honored to be the supplier of the KS-1 rifle system to the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom in partnership with Edgar Brothers, Knight’s UK representative firm.

The KS-1 rifle system is the culmination of 40 years of ongoing refinement efforts to Mr. Eugene Stoner’s original 1955 design pattern, developed specifically to meet the quantifiable needs of specialized military units per PROJECT HUNTER’s requirements and testing.

The challenging requirements of this project brought the best of industry to present fully mature combat-ready rifle systems complete with magnified optics, suppressors, and accessories to the UK MoD for testing and trials. The level of performance expected of every aspect of the system required Knight’s Armament to employ cutting-edge materials and manufacturing methods in conjunction with innovative design and engineering, ultimately delivering the most advanced and feature-rich AR-type rifle to its next generation of service.

“Gene Stoner was my friend and mentor, and I believe he would be proud to know that his innovative concept continues to uphold freedom in the hands of our Nation’s greatest Ally.”

-C. Reed Knight Jr.