FAULTY RIFLE SAFETY RISK TO FORCES PERSONNEL

'Problems continue to dog a controversial combat rifle that is standard issue to military personnel, including Plymouth Royal Marines. Official figures released by the Ministry of Defence show the much-criticised SA80 weapon failed on more than 100 occasions during recent operations in Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan, including where it posed a threat to life or personal injury.

But the MoD has insisted that it had no additional concerns about the rifle since it underwent modifications at a cost of £92 million, to create the SA80 A2 version.

In a Parliamentary answer, Defence Minister Adam Ingram revealed that while being used in Iraq/Kuwait since August, 2003 - and since modifications have been carried out - there have been 101 equipment failure reports (EFR) recorded for the SA80. This is where the user believes that "an item of equipment or component has failed unreasonably early in its life, or that it exhibits a design, handling, or safety problem.""
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