Beretta Defence Technologies UK (BDT UK) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Cambridge Precision to manufacture key components for its Project Grayburn bid to replace the SA80 rifle.
The agreement, announced at DSEI 2025, follows the launch of BDT UK’s Land Industrial Strategy, which aims to rebuild domestic small arms capability and establish a long-term partnership with the Ministry of Defence.
Under the plan, Cambridge Precision would produce parts including the foregrip, upper and lower receivers, trigger assembly and bolt carrier group. Should the Grayburn bid succeed, the components would be assembled, tested and evaluated at BDT UK’s Faldingworth facility in Lincolnshire.
The company stressed that the partnership was designed to strengthen the UK supply chain and reduce reliance on overseas production. “Our partnership with Cambridge Precision demonstrates our commitment to the UK – we have set out our plan and we are already working to deliver on it,” said Jack Cadman, military group manager at BDT UK. “Project Grayburn has the potential to inject investment into the UK economy and provide jobs in Lincolnshire, and with our partners across the country.”
Cambridge Precision chairman Richard Hefford-Hobbs said the company was ready to contribute its advanced manufacturing capability. “This agreement with BDT UK will allow us to contribute our award-winning experience to develop essential components to keep soldiers safe on the front line,” he said. “We look forward to building on our existing relationship and will work closely with BDT UK over the coming months to develop an effective strategy to reliably produce components to support Project Grayburn.”
The announcement builds on several months of collaboration between the two companies and signals BDT UK’s intention to anchor its Grayburn offer in domestic industry.
This really shouldn’t be that complex. Pick a rifle have them set up a factory in the UK.
Thank you for your time
I am really interested to see what the ammunition choice is going to be. The Americans make a dogs dinner out of their aquisition of the M7 using 6.8mm to the point the ammunition is wrecking their own rifles.
I would like to see the MoD either stick with a 5.56 or go to something like 6.5 Creedmoor but we must learn from the Americans and do the absolute oppisite to what they have done. In regards to the BDT bid, it seems really well thought out with local production etc. We will have to wait and see what they choose to do.
6.5 Creed has an issue for long term use in barrel wear apparently, but like all small arms issues there are 500 opinions on what is right.
Like you said in another comment, 5.56 is probably going to struggle against the next generation of PPE, if we can manage to get ahead of the game with a new round will give the MOD and industry the time they need to iron out the kinks that will come along with the introduction of a new round.
That is not to say that it would be in anyway acceptable to have personal weapon systems fail in battle and put troops at risk, if there are going to be issues they need to be resolved at pace.
Agree, the memory of SA80 is etched in my memory bank too solidly to wish a repeat of that fiasco.
.280 British! 😂
Come on, we solved this 80 years ago
Let’s buy a gun that’s Reliable,Doesn’t fall apart
Can be made in the UK, and is accurate. A few hundred should be given to our troops to take into the field and test until destruction.
That’s the job of the Pattern Room. That’s precisely what they do.
A return to 7.62? Or follow Uncle Sam? Whatever the choice I watched several pretty thorough tests on new Russian and Chinese body armour recently, frankly 5.56 is out of the game. So for me it will be a larger calibre AR10 type. The amount of fannying around with all procurement is a waste of time and money, good kit is there for the taking. So just do it.
Why not just choose a multi-calibre capable rifle?
There never was any Russian Body Armour
We’re probably not going to fight the Chinese, plus they’re tactic is massed meat grinder waves too so I doubt there will be any.
America needed longer range weapons in Afghanistan but we weren’t stupid enough to take a carbine.
So we *probably* don’t need more than 556 and a DMR.
But just in case, get a rifle that can take a new barrel and bolt.