The A3 is the most current variant of the SA80 L85 rifle, first introduced in 1987 — The A3 is the most current variant of the SA80 L85 rifle, which was introduced in 1987 (Picture: MOD)

Weapons and Kit

How many SA80 rifles does the UK military have? MOD reveals stock numbers

The Ministry of Defence has disclosed the total number of SA80 rifles currently in use across the Armed Forces.

Introduced in 1987, the SA80, which stands for "Small Arms for the 1980s" is the designated family of individual weapon systems for all military personnel.

The figures, obtained through a Freedom of Information request by BFBS Forces News, provide a rare insight into the UK’s weapon inventory - just weeks before the Government's Strategic Defence Review is set to report.

As of 21 January 2025, the Armed Forces held a total of 166,120 SA80 variant rifles, distributed across the Royal Navy (including the Royal Marines), the British Army and Royal Air Force.

4 YORKS Yorkshire Regiment Army reservist firing a SA80 on Exercise Yorkshire Strike 100221 — Approaching its 40th year in service, the SA80 L85 is still designated as the individual weapon system of the UK Armed Forces, the one being fired here being the A2 (Picture: MOD)

Variants of the SA80 include the L85 A2 and A3, the now lesser-used L86 Light Support Weapon (LSW) and the L22 Carbine.

Given that the total strength of the UK military, including regular and reserve forces, is approximately 180,000 personnel, the figures suggest there may not be enough rifles for every service member should all be required to fight simultaneously.

However, in December 2024 Veterans Minister Al Carns replied to a written question in the House of Commons that more than 13,000 regular serving personnel were undeployable, meaning they would not be able to serve on operations overseas in any event.

The Armed Forces use an array of small arms weaponry, including the new L403A1 - better known as the KS-1 - which has been trailed by Ranger battalions in the British Army.

On Wednesday, Defence Minister Maria Eagle announced that the MOD had taken delivery of 1,620 of these new rifles, which, alongside the Ranger units, are intended for use by special forces and the Royal Marines.

The SMASH sights will be mounted on the SA80 A3 rifle to deal with drone threats CREDIT BRITISH ARMY — The latest versions of the L85 are capable of mounting an array of sighting systems, the optic here being designed for shooting down moving targets such as drones (Picture: MOD)

Our research also revealed that the MOD has disposed of nearly all Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs), which were replaced by the SA80 in the 1980s. This weapon was also known as the L1A1.

According to the MOD, only one SLR remains, which is currently "held in quarantine."

While the MOD confirmed the total number of SA80 rifles, it declined to disclose their exact distribution across the three services.

Within its response to our FOI, the MOD said it had conducted a "public interest test" to determine whether to reveal the number of SA80s specifically held by the British Army.

Ultimately, it decided that "on balance, information pertaining to the breakdown of total stocks should be withheld" to protect operational security.

Therefore, while the total number of SA80 rifles appears lower than the total personnel count, it remains unknown whether the British Army holds more or fewer than the approximately 70,000 troops that make up its strength.

Our research also found that while SA80 rifles are used across all three services, the British Army is officially responsible for managing those assigned to the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.

The Strategic Defence Review was announced by the Labour Government in July 2024 and is being led by former Nato secretary general Lord Robertson. It is due to report in the coming months.