spectr17
07-20-2002, 11:56 PM
Failure of rifle was all the fault of Marines, says MoD inquiry
Electronic Telegraph, Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent
21/07/2002
The official report into repeated failures of the armed forces' assault rifle in Afghanistan has cleared the weapon, saying that the Royal Marines using it were to blame.
The Defence Logistics Organisation, the military body that keeps the armed forces supplied with items such as fuel, weapons and ammunition, investigated reports that SA80-A2 guns repeatedly jammed.
It has concluded that the weapon, which has already been refined more than 100 times, misfired because of inadequate maintenance and cleaning.
The findings, which have been presented to Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, and Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, the chief of the defence staff, have caused fury among the Marines, who returned to Britain last week.
Senior Royal Marine officers, told by The Telegraph of the report's conclusions, labelled it a "whitewash".
The SA80 has been beset by problems since it was brought into service in the 1980s, when defence ministers rejected proven US or German weapons in favour of a British product.
Soldiers using it have complained that it jams in adverse weather conditions, is difficult to clean and is less robust than other weapons.
The SA80-A2, which came into service in March, is the product of a £92 million upgrade of the original SA80. In subsequent competitive trials, the new version was found to be the best weapon available.
During operations in Afghanistan, however, the Royal Marines said that the SA80-A2 was still plagued by problems and that it had failed in dusty conditions.
The Telegraph has learnt that a team of armourers and weapons specialists, commanded by a Royal Marine colonel, was dispatched to Afghanistan from the Defence Logistics Organisation.
The report states that in tests, those weapons cleaned by troops following the manufacturer's instructions performed "highly successfully", while those cleaned by Marines on their own had a significant number of failures. Further problems were caused by some Marines using their own weapon-cleaning equipment.
Senior defence officials have told The Telegraph the report's findings make it highly unlikely that Mr Hoon will order the SA80-A2 scrapped.
However, a senior Royal Marines officer said: "This report is nonsense. The weapon fires properly if you clean it properly: the problem is that it is very difficult to clean when you are conducting military operations."
End article
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More info on problems with the SA80-A2
http://www.angelfire.com/art/enchanter/SA80.html
Electronic Telegraph, Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent
21/07/2002
The official report into repeated failures of the armed forces' assault rifle in Afghanistan has cleared the weapon, saying that the Royal Marines using it were to blame.
The Defence Logistics Organisation, the military body that keeps the armed forces supplied with items such as fuel, weapons and ammunition, investigated reports that SA80-A2 guns repeatedly jammed.
It has concluded that the weapon, which has already been refined more than 100 times, misfired because of inadequate maintenance and cleaning.
The findings, which have been presented to Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, and Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, the chief of the defence staff, have caused fury among the Marines, who returned to Britain last week.
Senior Royal Marine officers, told by The Telegraph of the report's conclusions, labelled it a "whitewash".
The SA80 has been beset by problems since it was brought into service in the 1980s, when defence ministers rejected proven US or German weapons in favour of a British product.
Soldiers using it have complained that it jams in adverse weather conditions, is difficult to clean and is less robust than other weapons.
The SA80-A2, which came into service in March, is the product of a £92 million upgrade of the original SA80. In subsequent competitive trials, the new version was found to be the best weapon available.
During operations in Afghanistan, however, the Royal Marines said that the SA80-A2 was still plagued by problems and that it had failed in dusty conditions.
The Telegraph has learnt that a team of armourers and weapons specialists, commanded by a Royal Marine colonel, was dispatched to Afghanistan from the Defence Logistics Organisation.
The report states that in tests, those weapons cleaned by troops following the manufacturer's instructions performed "highly successfully", while those cleaned by Marines on their own had a significant number of failures. Further problems were caused by some Marines using their own weapon-cleaning equipment.
Senior defence officials have told The Telegraph the report's findings make it highly unlikely that Mr Hoon will order the SA80-A2 scrapped.
However, a senior Royal Marines officer said: "This report is nonsense. The weapon fires properly if you clean it properly: the problem is that it is very difficult to clean when you are conducting military operations."
End article
================================================== ============
More info on problems with the SA80-A2
http://www.angelfire.com/art/enchanter/SA80.html