While it’s been common knowledge in industry for some time, Military.com’s Kit Up! has received confirmation from SOCOM that reveals that they have abandoned the 5.56 version of the SCAR and will use FY 2011 money to buy more 7.62 Mk-17s to fill a “capability gap†for a 7.62 battle rifle. We’ve changed the title of the piece as it more accurately reflects what is happening. As we discussed awhile back, the fact that SOCOM is going to field a 7.62 battle rifle that was never down selected in an open competition is interesting news. On one hand you could applaud the command’s efforts to adapt to a changing situation while on the other, you could curse them for “sneaking” a gun into the hands of the troops that may or may not be the best available. We also want to point out that while just last month SCAR made it to the Milestone-C decision, the issue with the Mk16 had been brewing for quite some time and it is more the fact that SOCOM has released something on the issue than that there has been reluctance to replace the M4 SOPMOD. The major sticking point now is the development of a Basis of Issue Plan for the Mk17 and Mk20.
Read more: http://kitup.military.com/