Let the more sensitive not take the content of the teaser too literally. After all, one has to have a sense of humor, even on serious matters, and this is what the scope of a new contract with Great Britain seems to be for a German arms manufacturer. Photos of the HK rifle submitted to the competition for a new weapon for the British Army Special Operations Brigade have been uploaded to the Internet.

The brigade consists of four Rangers battalions and the Joint Counter Terrorist Training and Advisory Team (JCTTAT).

The need for a new weapon to replace the old and not very "special" SA80/L85 was announced in August 2021.

The British are looking for a carbine that meets the following requirements:
- chambered for 5.56x45 NATO ammunition (a 62-gram cartridge called L15A2)
- the carbine is to be constructed on the basis of the AR platform
- the upper and lower receiver are to be connected with pins
The whole system, whose name is the Alternative Individual Weapon (AIW), is also to include an optical sight dedicated to the above-mentioned ammunition, and a Signature Reduction System - in other words, a silencer.

The HK rifle whose photos were published is the 416A5 model with a barrel length of 12.5 inches.

The weapon is also equipped with an interesting front in the M-Lok system, with a quick disassembly lever (QD). On the handguard itself there are sockets for the installation of a tactical sling and in the front section there is an opening through which the operator of the weapon has access to an adjustable gas block. The weapons submitted to the British program are equipped with the Trijicon VCOG sight. The photos also show a B&T silencer screwed directly onto the barrel of the rifle. Ultimately it is supposed to be a QD device.

According to reports by the editor of the Janes portal, decisions regarding the choice of new weapons for the British Special Operations Brigades are to be taken in about a year.

Source: twitter.com, army.mod.uk, joint-forces.com