Brownells and FNH USA have teamed up to bring you a brand new episode from NRA Life of Duty’s “Frontlines”. This episode goes to Colombia to cover the annual “Fuerzas Commando” – a SOF competition that measures strength, skills and stamina among 30 different special forces teams from around the globe.
FNH put together a pretty slick video showcasing their various weapons. Yes, some of the background noise is a bit contrived in the beginning but what do you want, it’s marketing. Give it a second to get rolling and then just sit back and enjoy. It even features the recently released Heat Adaptive Modular Rifle (HAMR).
FNH USA has released the Heat Adaptive Modular Rifle (HAMR) at AUSA. Based on the FN SCAR 16 platform, the system was a contender for the USMC’s Infantry Automatic Rifle but lost out to the HK M27 which is based on the 416. FN claims that the HAMR is accurate to 1 MOA but did not differentiate if this was from an open or closed bolt. Additionally, FNH has announced that the HAMR boasts a controllable 650 rpm rate of fire.
So exactly what makes the HAMR unique? The capability presented is best described by FN’s own press release, “FN HAMR initially fires from the closed bolt in either semi-automatic or full-automatic modes. For added safety during sustained fire situations, the FN HAMR automatically transitions into open-bolt operation in both semi-automatic and full-automatic modes before reaching the cook-off temperature of the chambered cartridge. Once the chamber temperature has dropped to a safe level, the FN HAMR automatically transitions back to closed-bolt mode. These transitions between closed-bolt and open-bolt modes are thermally regulated by the FN HAMR and occur without any manual intervention by the operator.”
Ambitious, but it seems as though there is a certain amount of technical risk here. Whether the mechanism that transitions the weapon’s operating system from Closed to Open bolt is electrical or mechanical like the thermostat in your car’s cooling system, it is just one more thing to go wrong. However, the SCAR itself is the most tested rifle in the US military’s history and it is doubtful that FN would have brought the HAMR to market if it wasn’t ready for prime time. We will be interested to see how they went about managing the operating system.
We understand that the IAR candidate had a heat sink built into the design so the HAMR’s stated weight of 11.2 lbs is also of interest but this includes a Grip Pod. On a final note, as it is being offered as a full-auto weapon for military and LE use, the average shooter will never have access to the HAMR. However, we are glad to see that the technology is being commercialized in one form or another.
Military Morons has published a preview of a new adapter from Vltor for the FNH SCAR 16/17S that allows you to replace the factory stock with a Mil-Spec AR-style stock. On the downside, you can’t fold the AR stock with the adapter. While we feel that the FNH stock is one of the best things it has going for it, this new product from Vltor does increase the versatility of the SCAR as a platform. It also signals that industry doesn’t see the SCAR going away anytime soon and is willing to develop dedicated products for it. Look at this as a victory on the brush fire front of the SCAR WARS.
FNH USA does it yet again. They issued a press release on August 16th that says essentially…SOCOM informed FNH that the Milestone Decision Authority (MDA) made a Full-Rate Production Decision Review which occurred on July 30, 2010. Well, duh. The MDA made a Milestone C decision back in April and FNH USA made sure we all knew about it. This latest press release really means nothing without the revised Basis of Issue Plan (BOIP) which dictates how many and of which type of SCAR, SOCOM will purchase. To take it at face value, a reader would assume that SOCOM is going to buy oodles of Mk 16 and Mk 17 rifles along with Mk 13 grenade launchers. But the truth is, we don’t know how many they will purchase if any at all since SOCOM has said that they are going to purchase different numbers than originally planned.
The other issue with this press release is the following paragraph…
“FN Herstal, a worldwide recognized firearms supplier to generations of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines since 1897, has ramped up production and assembly at its manufacturing facilities to meet the delivery orders placed by USSOCOM.”
Does this mean that the SCAR will finally be manufactured in the US? We don’t think so, but based on the context of the overall subject matter, it would leave the casual reader to make that assumption.
None of this would really be that big of a deal if FNH hadn’t run out and posted it on every military and firearms message board they could find. FNH continues to try and twist this thing and every time they publish another one of these ill conceived press releases they hurt their credibility and beg more scrutiny. Actually, it would explain a lot if the same folks who are writing their press releases were working on the SCAR program. If this is the case; stop.
We miss the FNH that was on top of their game building great machine guns. Please come back.
Feel free to read the entire thing here.
The fur continues to fly in the controversy that just won’t end. Two weeks ago, Kit up! broke the story that SOCOM would not be purchasing or fielding any of the 5.56 Mk16 SCAR-Lights. Then, the deluge of fanboys and shills hit the internet like a tsunami denying the story. Next, FNH USA issued a press release that was more plea than promise. Unfortunately, they also admitted on message boards that they had not yet been informed of SOCOM’s decision. Welcome to the world of Government contracting. It happens. SOCOM asked them to build a beast. They built it, and then SOCOM decided they didn’t want what they had asked for.
Now like a spurned lover, the parent company, FN Herstal in Belgium has taken the offensive issuing a new press release originally posted through The Firearm Blog, refuting the Kit Up! story. Looks like FNH hired a wily English major to craft this one because it splits more hairs than Donald Trump’s barber.
Belgium-based firearms manufacturer FN Herstal hereby refutes the allegations recently found on the web that USSOCOM abandoned the 5.56 version of the SCAR® rifle and reconfirms USSOCOM’s decision to acquire the full FN SCAR® family of weapons, including the 5.56mm rifle.
The FN SCAR® family of weapons consists of the 5.56mm SCAR® rifle, 7.62mm SCAR® rifle and 40mm LV Enhanced Grenade Launcher Module (respectively designated as MK 16, MK 17 and MK 13 by USSOCOM). These three components were developed by FN Herstal in close cooperation with USSOCOM and have each met all the operational and fielding tests required by the program. This resulted in the notification by USSOCOM last May that the full SCAR® system entered into Milestone C phase, allowing production and deployment of the full range of SCAR® weapons. The 5.56 version will be part of USSOCOM’s inventory.
The choice between the 5.56 and the 7.62 caliber will be left to the discretion of each constitutive component of USSOCOM’s Joint Command (e.g. Seals, Rangers, Army Special Forces, USMC, AFSOC) depending on their specific missions on today’s battlefield.
We have emphasized a few key terms in the release and find it quite interesting that a foreign company, FN Herstal is now speaking for USSOCOM especially considering that Kit Up! followed up with SOCOM and they confirmed the details of his earlier story. The last bit is also telling in that it seems that FN Herstal has worked out a deal with one or more of the components to take the Mk16s off of their hands. It will be interesting to see how that works out.
A word or two for FN writ large. Stop fanning the flames. It will all go away if you just keep building great guns and stop issuing ill-thought press releases. We’ve been fans of FNH for years, but to perpetuate this is costing you in terms of good will.
For some reason, FNH USA felt compelled to release a statement regarding SOCOM’s disclosure to Military.com that they are not going to purchase any more Mk16 SCARs. We read their press release and immediately the “Did they just do that?” look came over everyone’s face. It smells of desperation. Perhaps they should have taken the first sentence a little more to heart.
“(McLean, Va.) FNH USA is cautious in releasing any information due to the nature of the pledge to our customers.
We can, however, reiterate that the MK 16 (5.56mm variant), MK 17 (7.62mm variant) and the MK 13 Enhanced Grenade Launcher Module (40mm), which make up the SCAR family of weapons, have each met, and in our opinion exceeded, all of the USSOCOM program requirements. It is also a matter of record that the SCAR has been proven to be superior to existing legacy assault rifles after numerous Department of Defense tests in both lab and field environments.
FNH USA believes the fact that the SCAR program recently passed Milestone C and was determined to be operationally effective / operationally suitable (OE/OS) for fielding, highlights the tremendous capability the weapons system offers deployed special operators.
FNH USA believes the issue is not whether the SCAR, and specifically the MK 16 variant, is the superior weapon system available today …it has already been proven to be just that. The issue is whether or not the requirement for a 5.56mm replacement outweighs the numerous other requirements competing for the customers’ limited budget. That is a question that will only be determined by the customer.
While we know that the MK 17, to include the “common receiver” and corresponding 5.56mm conversion kit is an option, other Services and SOF components will have the ability to procure the MK 16 stand-alone rifle under the contract if it better meets their mission requirements.
In conclusion, the management and employees of FN are proud to provide this generation of special operators their first, entirely new assault rifle that meets and, in our opinion, exceeds the demands of today’s battlefield.”
www.fnhusa.com
