An initial order worth £15 million ($19 million) for 1,620 KS-1 weapons has been placed by the British government, with options allowing them to acquire 10,000 units at a total cost of £90 million over the next decade.

The weapon will initially be equipped with the British Army Special Operations Brigade (ASOB), but the modernisation effort for the Royal Marines Commando force will also equip them with the weapons.

Officially known in the British military as the “Alternative Individual Weapon System”, L403A1, the weapon will be manufactured in the US by Knights Armaments, but will be assembled in the UK by Edgar Brothers, an arms company in Macclesfield, North West England.

The UK company will be responsible for sourcing and assembling the subsystems that make up the weapon.

The L403A1 rifle is the latest version of ArmaLite's SR-16 assault rifle featuring a muzzle flash suppression system and an advanced sighting system developed by Vortex Optics in Wisconsin.

The scope has a magnifying ability that allows the user to attack enemies from a longer distance and the muzzle flash reduction system helps protect the user from being detected.

The weapon will replace the Colt Canada SA80/L85 and L119 rifles currently in use by the British Special Forces and some units of the Royal Marines.

Lieutenant Colonel Gareth Davies, British Army said that this L403A1 weapon will be a new step forward in performance for the British army.

“They significantly improve lethality, and the system carries one of the highest quality day sights. Most importantly, the weapon system will be enhanced by our latest generation of night sights, which ASOB soldiers are equipped with.”

The decision to purchase the weapons comes as the British government enters the first phase of a programme called Project Greyburn, which aims to replace thousands of SA80 rifles used by the British army.

Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Defense News)