The British army would be the 'smiling stock' of NATO because the outdated guns would not be able to kill Russian or Chinese soldiers in advanced body truss.
The army still uses the L115A3 'sniper' rifle, while other forces had been updated to the AX models of the same company, which are lighter and enable soldiers to look further into the distance, according to a serving senior officer.
“The Europeans loved all our kit, but are laughing at it now,” the officer told The Times.
They said that snipers from a NATO fellow in Eastern Europe 'spirit' were still used by the UK.
About 500 snipers in the British army have an L115A3 rifle and they feel funded and neglected, according to the officer, who added that the UK had 'fallen far behind the curve as far as the power goes'.
Units other than snipers are confronted with similar problems. The SA-80 Standard Infantry Rifle, which has been used by British soldiers for four decades, is reportedly not much changed since the 1980s.
The SA-80 uses a 5.56 mm round, which is the NATO standard, and the rifle is designed to pierce old Russian helmets that are no longer in use, a second source said, adding that the gun was heavy and awkward '.
They also said that the SA -80 – of which 150,000 are being assumed to be currently employed – was one of the 'least updated' guns that was no longer even made by others.
Other allies such as the US Army, instead used a different ammunition galliber, a 6.8 mm round – which is considered more fatal than the 5.56 mm – in combination with XM7 and XM250 – rifles by US Firearms specialist Sig Sauer.
The army reportedly uses the L115A3 'sniper' rifle (depicted), while other forces had been updated to the AX models of the same company, which are lighter and enable soldiers to see further in the distance
The SA-80 Standard Infantry Rifle (photo), which has been used by British soldiers for four decades, is reportedly not much changed since the 1980s
Other allies such as the US Army, instead, used another ammunition caliber, a 6.8 mm round (left) – which is considered more fatal than the 5.56 mm (right) – in combination with XM7 and XM250 rifles by us Firearm specialist Sig Sauer
In the meantime, the Russian body -perticer has improved and the latest kit for infantry soldiers includes 'level 4' armor designed to resist fire from a Russian 7.62 mm gun
'Your average [British] Soldier couldn't beat it, not even close, “said the source The Times.
The SA-80, which has been updated for the past four decades, including an update in 2020, is reportedly set to be replaced as part of Project Grayburn, which is currently still in the concept phase.
The 5.56 mm round used in the SA-80 'cannot beat the Russian armor, and it is easy to design by the latest Russian handfish weapons,' the American Major General Robert Scales told about a hearing of the Senate in 2017.
In 2020 this was succeeded by General Mark Milley, then Chief of Staff of the US Army.
He said that the 5.56 mm was unable to penetrate 'a type of body shield couple', and added that 'opponents' sold this online.
The source of the Times said that the US introducing the 6.8 mm hybrid round could mean that NATO bondmen could have trouble sharing rounds on the battlefield in the future.
They said that, although this was known, the ammunition switch was made 'for a good reason' because the 5.56 mm was now 'outdated' against modern body armor, according to the source.
The Ministry of Defense was 'behind the curve' in terms of switching to better and more efficient rounds for battlefield rifles, according to Robert Clark, who works as a researcher at the think tank of the Yorktown Institute in Washington DC (file image of the SA -80)
The 5.56 mm round (photo) uses in the SA-80 'cannot beat the Russian body armor, and it is easy to unravel by the latest Russian handfish weapons,' the American Major General Robert Scales told a hearing in 2017
The Ministry of Defense was 'Behind the Curve' in terms of switching to better and more efficient rounds for battlefield rifles, according to Robert Clark, who works as a researcher at the Think Tank of the Yorktown Institute in Washington DC.
Clark said that the idea behind smaller ammunition had the advantage that it was more likely to injure soldiers instead of killing them, which means that it would remove soldiers involved in the victim's extraction.
But he added that in recent conflicts hunters such as those from Russia have been 'less concerned' about saving the wounded, which would make smaller, less deadly rounds 'less useful'.
The 5.56 mm round was 'almost useless' against the Russians and Chinese, according to Clark.
The source of the British army told The Times that the problems in British soldiers were confronted, “were swept under the carpet,” while the MOD depicted that the army was ready for war.
A MOD spokesperson said in a statement that the SA-80 had been upgraded 'in recent years', and added that it was 'one of the most accurate service provisions' that are currently in use all over the world.
The spokeswoman also said that the 5.56 mm rounds were 'tried' and NATO standard, which made 'interoperability between allied forces'.
