During the 1970's the British Ministry of Defence began looking at a replacement for the venerable SLR (self-loading rifle) or L1A1. They were also looking at both a rifle (Individual Weapon or IW) in a smaller, lighter caliber (4.85x49mm) and a sustained fire, bipod mounted automatic rifle (Light Support Weapon or LSW). The first of these guns were the L64 IW/L65 LSW - series weapons.
Above: A representative L64 IW in caliber 4.85x49mm. It is vaguely reminiscent of the EM-2 bullpup design that lost out against the L1A1 in the rifle trials of the early 1950's.
Below: A cutaway of the L64 IW. The follow-on L85 IW and L86 LSW were similar in design philosophy but redesigned for the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge in 1978. Early rifles used components of the Armalite AR-18 rifle in production by Sterling Armaments, Ltd.
Above: The stamped steel and plastic L85A1 is shown with its detachable iron sights installed and bolt locked back in this photo. Production problems cause all manner of problems. Nevertheless, it was adopted to replace the L1A1 main battle rifle of the British military in 1984 while it was still beset with numerous faults and other problems. It did not help that Royal Ordnance was slated for privatization by the Thatcher government. Within two years after Royal Ordnance was acquired by British Aerospace, production was moved to Nottingham and Enfield Lock was closed down and 1,200 workers laid off.
Below: An L85A1 rifle field stripped into its components. The bolt and bolt carrier group, bolt handle, double driving springs, and gas system are very similar to those of the Armalite AR-18 as made by Sterling Armaments, Ltd. The L85 and L86 series of small arms were the first British military arms made by precision metal forming methods, as pioneered by the Germans during World War 2, and the first to employ plastic in its furniture and other parts from the beginning. Enfield did not seem to appreciate the fundamental shift in design philosophy from the old wood and machined steel arms of WW2 and Korean War days. There was a lot of component redesign and replacement as a result until "things were gotten right." Even so, when one problem was solved, another would raise its ugly head.
Above and Below: A representative L86A1 LSW that was a modified variant ot the L85A1. The L86A1 was a very accurate and long ranged rifle compared to the L85A1. It was designed as a light supporting automatic rifle for the section. It did not have a quick change barrel and so its sustained-fire capability was limited. However, the L86A1 had far worse problems -- it malfunctioned had a higher rate than the L85A1 rifle. Even after a lot of money was spent to fix both the L85A1 and L86A1 problems, the L86A2 improved version still had problems. The optical sight is an improved quick reaction-type sight pioneered on the L1A1 SLR called the Sight Unit, Infantry, Trilux (or SUIT). This improved version was called the Sight Unit, Small Arms, Trilux (or SUSAT) and was an improvement over the earlier unit. SUSAT was intended as the primary sight for tactical ground units. The detachable iron sights were intended for non-tactical units, such as logistics, where the IW and LSW were in support rather than the main tool of ground combat.
Above: A specialized variation of the basic rifle was the L98A1 Cadet Rifle. While it looked similar to the basic L85A1 infantry rifle it was quite different (and much more reliable). The L98A1 was a straight-pull bolt action and was typically outfitted with iron sights (although the SUSAT could be fitted to it). The rifle was used for marksmanship training and basic weapons familiarization. It did not have a flash suppressor (or flash eliminator) like the L85A1 and L86A1 arms. Specialist L98A1 Cadet Rifles are being replaced for military cadet trainees by a semi-auto only version of the L85A2 rifle with the change over beginning in late 2007. The very prominent bolt handle and lack of flash suppressor immediatly identify the L98A1 Cadet Rifle.
Below: The L22A1 rifle was a more compact variation of the L85A1 designed for armored infantry, armored cavalry, and other specialists. The barrel was much shorter and the rear grip of the L86A1 was moved ahead of the pistol grip for better control of this short carbine. Details of the SUSAT optical sight are readily shown in this photo. If you look closely, you can see the auxiliary iron sights for the SUSAT mounted just on top of the optics. The emergency sights were to be used if the optics became damaged or fogged and the detachable iron sights weren't readily available to the user.
Above: In the late 1990's the L85A1 was modified into the L85A2 by Heckler and Koch of Germany. What came out of the modification was essentially a new rifle with greater reliability. The main recognition feature of the 'A2 variant is its redesigned cocking handle, otherwise they are externally identical.
Below: The L86A1 was also modified into the L86A2 LSW (now called the Designated Marksman's Rifle or DMR). The L86A2 was still not up to the light support role in the section, and so it was replaced by the FN Minimi Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW). The SAW comes in the standard configuration called the L108A1 and the L110A1 Para with a telescoping butt stock and short barrel. The bipod and handguards of the L86A2 are beefed-up and it shares the different bolt handle of the L86A2 as recognition points. This LSW has the detachable iron sights fitted.
Above: A member of the Black Watch regiment at an Iraqi police check point in 2004 with the L108A1 SAW that replaced the L86A2 LSW (now DMR). Unlike the LSW (DMR) the SAW has a quick-change barrel and can use either belted 5.56 NATO ammunition or the standard L85A2 rifle magazines. This FN design is far superior to the L86A2 for the intended role of supporting the section.
Below: A member of the Coldstream Guards regiment in Iraq shows off his L110A1 Para version of the SAW. The Para retains the belt-fed and magazine-fed ability of the former, but has a short barrel and telescoping butt stock (retracted in this photo). This trooper has a voice-activated squad radio strapped to his kit.
Above: Last, but not least, the L22A1 was also modified into the L22A2 configuration as indicated by the modified bolt handle and shortened, modified handguard and fore grip attachment. The blue tape inidicates this weapon is designed for non-leathal training with paint filled-projectiles -- the military version of paint ball games.
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