Enforce Tac 2026 – BDT UK comments on Project Grayburn, the UK MoD programme to replace British Army small arms

At the Nurnberg exhibition EDR On-Line met Jack Cadman, the Military Group Manager at BDT UK, who illustrated the latest developments of the company approach to Project Grayburn, the programme that should lead the British Army to adopt a new set of small arms, the main subject being the replacement of the SA80 assault rifle, the bullpup weapon developed by then Royal Small Arms Factory

According to a note published on January 13th, 2026, on the UK Ministry of Defence website, Project Grayburn is alive, although no investment decisions have been taken yet. What is once again made clear is that the weapons will be manufactured in the UK to enhance sovereign supply chains, generate employment, and provide a platform for exports. UK MoD is considering establishing a strategic relationship to deliver, manage, spirally develop, and support the weapons portfolio for Project Grayburn systems, and in time, perhaps parts of/all the wider dismounted close combat weapons portfolio. Five variants are considered, all based on a common receiver: Dismounted Close Combat, replacing SA80A3; Dismounted Close Combat (short), replacing SA80A3, Personal Defence Weapon, replacing L22 Carbine; Generalist, replacing SA80A2; and Cadet rifle, replacing L98 Cadet GP rifle. Those five variants might become four, should the Dismounted Close Combat (short) be combined either with the Dismounted Close Combat or with the Personal Defence Weapon. Among the requirements the new rifle will have to provide sufficient lethality to defeat current and emerging body armour, this being an issue that combines the rifle, the ammunition calibre, and the type of ammo. Some variants will need to be able to employ “signature reduction technology”, aka suppressors, and of course all variants will have to show high reliability and be able to operate in all environments and climatic conditions, the emerging importance of the Arctic region possibly pushing further cold weather limits. Estimated contract dates mentioned in the governmental document mention “1 April 2028 to 31 March 2045”, quite a wide bracket, although a multi-year contract approach might be considered.

There has been a lot of discussion, a lot of talking points about several programmes, not just Project Grayburn,” Jack Cadman told EDR On-Line, “but at this point we are at a position where it is a risk, not only for us but for all industry suppliers that are potentially bidding for this contract, should this programme be further delayed.” Considering the various steps, Request for Information, Request for Proposal, down selection, and trials, things should move at pace to make the April 2028 date credible. “We are at a stage now where we fully intend for the UK MoD to push forward at an increased rate,” Mr. Cadman confirmed.

The number of companies that intend submitting their proposals is considerably growing; “I think what is really important is that the MoD are in a credible place so that they can judge what is the best option for the UK across all areas, not just in terms of the rifle, absolutely that’s a huge part of it, but who is going to be able to stand up as a strategic supplier for the facility, who is going to be able to deliver on time, who is going to be able to deliver the first and the 180,000 rifles,” the BDT UK Military Group Manager underlined.

For Project Grayburn BDT UK is proposing two different weapons, the Beretta NARP and the Sako ARG 40.  The Beretta NARP, for New Assault Rifle Platform, was unveiled at DSEI 2023, and is a flexible system, build with a modular approach around an improved AR15 mechanism, it accepts different barrels and can be produced to accept different calibres; the current version is chambered for the 5.56 mm NATO cartridge, other calibres such as 6.5 mm Creedmoor and 7.62×51 mm being considered. While the NARP acronym remains in use for the base rifle, customers that already received their customised rifles gave them a proper name. The Sako ARG 40 was purposely designed for combat in the arctic cold weather and was developed hand in hand with Swedish and Finnish defence forces. A short-stroke gas-piston system, it can also be fitted with barrels of various lengths. The ARG 40 is chambered for the 5.56×45 mm round, however the bigger brother, known as ARG 50, is chambered for 7.62×51 mm rounds.

According to the MoD document, “Project Grayburn weapons will be fitted with day-optics and have the ability to quickly integrate with in-line night vision optics.” The Platform definition of the BDT proposal is correct, as the lethal capacity of an individual weapon is the product of the rifle, the sight, and the ammunition performances. “What really needs to be talked about, is optics,” Jack Cadman, BDT UK being able to exploit group synergies to put on the table a complete proposal, including optics, with Steiner, and ammunition, with RWS, Swiss P, Norma, and MFS. “The SA80 optical sight is outdated. A great piece of kit for its time, but it does not fit for purpose in the modern battlefield. We cannot put it onto a new weapon, it is a matter of concept. I think optics is a critical area that needs to be discussed.”

But the most critical issue is time, “If they are still looking for the first 10,000 weapons to be delivered within 2030, I assume this time next year, we would be deep into the competition, in some way or another,” Jack Cadman said, the sovereign capability being also a time issue as it would entail a transfer of technology and the possible build-up of a dedicated facility as well as workforce training, the UK lacked a small arms manufacturing capability in the last 45 years, being other time-related issues, as well as a local supply chain.

Should BDT UK win the bid, manufacturing in Phase 1 would see barrels provided by Beretta or Sako, while other components would come from the UK manufacturing partner, Cambridge Precision, assembly being carried out at Skydock facilities which also ensure testing and evaluation capabilities, this allowing to deliver the first batches within imposed time limits. Phase 2, no dates were provided, would see barrel production moving to Skydock, which will continue receiving other components from Cambridge Precision. “Overall, we estimate that the contract will generate 100 to 120 jobs,” Jack Cadman concluded.

Photos courtesy BDT UK and P. Valpolini