SA80 Weapon System (Hansard, 24 January 2000)

§ Mr. Key
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the SA80 weapon system modifications proposed by Heckler and Koch in 1997; and if he has introduced a modification programme. [106182]

§ Mr. Duncan Smith
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if a modification programme for the SA80 weapon system was implemented following the proposals from Heckler and Koch referred to in the letter from the Minister for Defence Procurement to the Defence Committee of 2 June 1997; what estimate was submitted by Heckler and Koch of the cost of their proposals; and if the SA80s used in the Kosovo campaign were modified as a result of these proposals. [106173]

§ Mr. Kilfoyle
The Design Authority for SA80, formerly Royal Ordnance but now Heckler and Koch UK (Ltd.), was tasked in 1996 to investigate the reliability of the SA80 weapon system. Heckler and Koch reported in 1998 that there might be underlying problems with the reliability of the system and presented their proposals for modifications. A contract was placed in mid-1998 with Heckler and Koch for the modification of 200 weapons to be used for trials to determine the effectiveness of these modifications. Deliveries of these modified weapons were made in January 1999. The MOD conducted user trials in hot and cold climatic conditions with a range of NATO ammunition types. The trials were completed in July 1999 and the formal Design Authority report was delivered to the MOD in late December 1999. The trials confirmed that, after modification, there were significant improvements in the reliability of both the SA80 rifle and Light Support Weapon. Urgent work is in hand to assess the wider implications of the Design Authority report, including the cost, and we expect to make a decision on any modification programme by the end of March 2000.

§ Mr. Key
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the SA80 weapon system remains suspended from the NATO Nominated Weapons List. [106183]
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§ Mr. Kilfoyle
The SA80 weapon system remains suspended from the NATO Nominated Weapons List, the list of weapons for use in the testing of NATO approved ammunition types. This suspension in itself has no impact on the operational effectiveness of the weapon.