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cleaning instructions issued in response tofailing
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
MoD rifle excuse is 'pathetic'
(Filed: 21/07/2002)
The Ministry of Defence's blaming of Marine troops for the failures of SA80-A2 rifles has been described by a firearms expert and ex-army officer as 'a pathethic excuse'.
The official report into repeated jamming of the armed forces' assault rifle used in Afghanistan cleared the weapon, and blamed the problem on the Royal Marines failure to clean the guns properly.
New maintenance and cleaning instructions have now been issued by the MoD, yet the representatives of the armed forces have described the report as a 'whitewash'.
Also condemning the report, former British Army officer Mike Yardley said: "To try to blame the soldiers, who are seasoned professionals, is actually rather unpleasant.
"It's trying to deflect the problem created from the deficiencies in the rifle itself."
Although MoD officials accepted that "teething troubles" could exist as Afghanistan was the rifle's first operational use, it claims the SA80-A2 is not difficult to maintain and is highly reliable and accurate in extreme conditions.
But Mr Yardley, who is calling for troops to be issued with modified M16 rifles, said weapons such as the Russian-built AK47 functioned in the most extreme battlefield conditions.
"If you have a battle rifle, it should be able to function even with minor problems with cleaning," he said.
"On the battlefield, rifles aren't going to be kept as clean as they are on the parade ground.
"The SA80 has been beset with problems since its introduction and it's clear even with the modifications that it is a less than perfect weapon.
"The fact that our special forces don't use it says everything." Mr Yardley accepted that the SA80-A2 was extremely accurate but questioned its design, weight and balance which affected its handling ability.
Related reports
http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/07/21/urifle.xml&sSheet=/portal/2002/07/21/ixport.html
c Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2002. Terms & Conditions of reading.
Commercial information. Privacy Policy.
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
(Filed: 21/07/2002)
The Ministry of Defence's blaming of Marine troops for the failures of SA80-A2 rifles has been described by a firearms expert and ex-army officer as 'a pathethic excuse'.
The official report into repeated jamming of the armed forces' assault rifle used in Afghanistan cleared the weapon, and blamed the problem on the Royal Marines failure to clean the guns properly.
New maintenance and cleaning instructions have now been issued by the MoD, yet the representatives of the armed forces have described the report as a 'whitewash'.
Also condemning the report, former British Army officer Mike Yardley said: "To try to blame the soldiers, who are seasoned professionals, is actually rather unpleasant.
"It's trying to deflect the problem created from the deficiencies in the rifle itself."
Although MoD officials accepted that "teething troubles" could exist as Afghanistan was the rifle's first operational use, it claims the SA80-A2 is not difficult to maintain and is highly reliable and accurate in extreme conditions.
But Mr Yardley, who is calling for troops to be issued with modified M16 rifles, said weapons such as the Russian-built AK47 functioned in the most extreme battlefield conditions.
"If you have a battle rifle, it should be able to function even with minor problems with cleaning," he said.
"On the battlefield, rifles aren't going to be kept as clean as they are on the parade ground.
"The SA80 has been beset with problems since its introduction and it's clear even with the modifications that it is a less than perfect weapon.
"The fact that our special forces don't use it says everything." Mr Yardley accepted that the SA80-A2 was extremely accurate but questioned its design, weight and balance which affected its handling ability.
Related reports
http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/07/21/urifle.xml&sSheet=/portal/2002/07/21/ixport.html
c Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2002. Terms & Conditions of reading.
Commercial information. Privacy Policy.
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878