stancrist said:

However, all that was reported is an unsubstantiated rumor that "may well" be false

SSD typically has good inside baseball beyond just speculation. 

At 10,000 rifles, this is a substantial order, considering Britains force of upgraded L85A3s stands at ~44,000:

https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2019/09/17/hk-awarded-contract-to-upgrade-british-sa80a3/

With ~20% of their rifles to be ARs, thats a substantial toe-hold. 

gatnerd said:

SSD typically has good inside baseball beyond just speculation. 

That may be so, but they only reported it as being a rumor. 

There was nothing to indicate any substance to the rumor.

gatnerd said:

At 10,000 rifles, this is a substantial order, considering Britains force of upgraded L85A3s stands at ~44,000:

https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2019/09/17/hk-awarded-contract-to-upgrade-british-sa80a3/

With ~20% of their rifles to be ARs, thats a substantial toe-hold.

It would be a substantial toehold, if you were using accurate numbers.

As of January 2022, the L85 inventory was almost 153,000, not 44,000.

How many SA80 rifles does the British military have? (ukdefencejournal)

And that does not include the thousands of L119A1/A2 rifles in service.

stancrist said:

It would be a substantial toehold, if you were using accurate numbers. As of January 2022, the L85 inventory was almost 153,000, not 44,000

Good find.

I wonder whether the 44k upgraded rifles represents the more 'frontline' infantry, vs the army as a whole. 

gatnerd said:

I wonder whether the 44k upgraded rifles represents the more 'frontline' infantry, vs the army as a whole.

According to the UK Defence Journal, there are only 18,000 infantry in the BA: https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/how-many-soldiers-are-in-each-british-army-regiment/ 

Wow, 18k is much fewer than I had imagined.

The contract is for 3-10k rifles. That could in theory cover a good chunk of the entire infantry force.  

The BA is at its smallest size for a couple of centuries. The politicians are talking about increased spending, but their precious Magic Money Tree remains as elusive as ever.

A nice overview of what the new Ranger Regiment actually is:

https://uklandpower.com/2021/12/14/matching-brainpower-with-firepower-the-british-armys-new-ranger-regiment/

This is possibly another Ranger candidate rifle, although may be for another Brit SF unit.

https://soldiersystems.net/2022/10/29/lantacs-rifle-prototype/

Interesting is the use of Carbon Fiber and other materials to reduce thermal signature. 

KAC KS-1

Project Hunter - Candidate Arms for British Army Ranger Regiment - Reference Media - Armed Figures

gatnerd said:

The contract is for 3-10k rifles. That could in theory cover a good chunk of the entire infantry force.

Assuming, for the sake of discussion, that the rumor is correct and the AIW will replace the L85, does that mean the end of the bayonet in the British army?

The tender has no requirement for bayonet attachment, and with the full-length fore ends plus the suppressor would seem to make a bayonet impractical.