Royal Marines from the UK Commando Force have been issued a new rifle for specialist operations, including counter-terrorism.
More than 1,500 Sig Sauer MCX rifles have been purchased by the Navy, enabled by Edgar Brothers, as part of continued investment in the Commando Force.
The rifle is well-suited for the specialist counter-UK terrorism roles of the Commando Force, replacing rifles produced by Colt Canada as part of £6m Navy investment.
It is designed to complement the Commandos’ new general use weapon, the Knights Armament Stoner 1 (KS-1), that was announced in September 2023.
The addition of the MCX is another milestone in the UK Commando Force transformation – giving the UK Commando Force the operational edge for Special Operations around the globe.
Lieutenant Colonel Olly Osborne, of the Commando Force Programme team, said: “These rifles reinforce the commitment of the Navy and Defence to our transformation, and the value the Commando Force provides to our national and international security.
“This is an excellent period of investment in the force and provides great confidence through exceptional task specific modern weaponry.”
The Sig MCX brings a level of versatility well-suited to the unique requirements of the Commando Force, which is tasked with operating in a wide range of extreme environments around the globe ahead of the main allied forces.
The Commandos have put the system through strenuous testing during force-on-force exercises and live firing drills – allowing the future users to train under realistic conditions.
The MCX will be used by Commando Forces operating with the Royal Navy’s Littoral Response Groups – which bring together amphibious ships, aircraft, vehicles and Commandos under one potent force designed to provide a global Crisis Response and Special Operations capability.
The rifle was procured under the auspices of Project Hay – named in tribute to Ronnie Hay, a legendary fighter pilot and Royal Marine of World War 2 who epitomised the daring of the Commandos during raids on Nazi-occupied territory.
As the only Royal Marines fighter ace, Hay flew combat sorties in the Fleet Air Arm, earning multiple decorations for his aerial victories and ground-attack missions.
His distinguished service included pivotal roles in the Dunkirk evacuation, the Battle of Britain, the Mediterranean campaign during Operation Torch, and the Far East, where he led one of the Fleet Air Arm’s largest operations and supported the assault on Okinawa.
Hay’s remarkable legacy inspired the cutting-edge capabilities delivered through Project Hay, as the Royal Marines continue to redefine their role as an advanced raiding force.
Under the project, Commandos were able to thoroughly field-test systems and provide feedback on their performance. This was instrumental in shaping the final configurations of the fielded MCX. This user feedback was inspired by Project Hunter – which led the procurement of the KS-1 rifle.
This is a press release from the Royal Navy.
Amazing how the same government that produces this also brutally suppresses their own citizens freedom of speech and protects rapists and terrorist. Great work!
The British fighting man has bled beside us in every conflict in Wich we have involved ourselves for the last 30 years. But keep spouting Putin’s talking points.
Mehmaster, you can provide links to what .308 said never happening, right? You can back up what you stating?
.308 is the one making the accusations. The onus is not on Mehmaster to prove .308 is wrong. The onus is on .308 to substantiate his claims with vetted sources. If I claim the U.S. Army protected rapists and terrorists, it would not be reasonable for me to say the only way to refute this claim is by providing links that said members of the U.S. Army never protected rapists and terrorists.
That video was pretty awesome. As a JTAC I loved how they used an actual JTAC to call in the strike. Or Royal marines who know how to do their job. It would be a great actual movie to watch.
@ Mehmaster and .308:
There was pre-Putin Section 28 in GB…
(Something similar exists in …i think Russia…)
Nobody (in a democracy!) knew what could happen to him if he dared to even offer information! about this matter?! And it had influence in the arts.
Or look at the history of the “Spycatcher” book by Peter Wright and “The Big Breach” by Richard Tomlinson 2001 and especially “The Negative Asset” about GCHQ by Jock Kane.
Decide for yourself.
Like it or not.
Governments will always (want to) decide whats good/useful information for the public.
Take a look at Orwlls “Animal Farm”.
Or Glenn Carle “The Interrogator”…
Hold on…they’re buying KS-1’s and MCX’s?
What are the details on the commandos’ MCX’s and what could have possibly justified buying 2 entirely different, but basically similar, rifles?
Yay! a question/comment relevant to the post!
Ks1 was for commonality with friendly forces. This thing just looks like they want to run short frame piston guns for boarding operations, which makes sense
My understanding is that these weapons were procured for maritime operations. Currently, there are more MCXs fielded than KS1s.