What is the most under-rated piece of military hardware?
I’ll go with the much maligned SA80.
This was the long awaited British replacement for the Self Loading Rife, or SLR (gotta love abbreviations). It was essentially a re-barrelled version of the prototype 4.85mm Individual Weapon, upsized to take 5.56mm, because the Americans made a big push for NATO standardisation from 7.62 to 5.56. Which, looking at the big picture, had lots of benefits.
Anyway, the SA80 had its roots way, way back with the EM2, an experimental bullpup weapon that was being worked on not long after World War 2, which also fell foul of NATO standardisation.
So, by the time the SA80 became standard issue, it had been worked on for years. Absolutely years. The initial response from most of the forces was less than positive. But the thing is, it really wasn’t as bad as everyone made out. For starters, it was a lot shorter than the SLR, so getting in and out of vehicles was much easier, and moving around buildings was a whole lot easier. It had full auto option, which was the first time British soldiers were actually trusted with this function, as the SLR was the only version of the FN FAL that didn’t let you go full-tonto. It was much better balanced, had a super-cool sling set up, meaning it was practically impossible to lose. And because it was 5.56mm as opposed to 7.62mm, you could carry more rounds of ammo. And more rounds of ammo meant more dead enemy, all things being equal. Many people at the time moaned that the 5.56 wasn’t as powerful as the 7.62, but it was powerful enough. The SA80 could still shoot through brick walls etc.
So why didn’t people like it? Well, one very unscientific reason is this: British squaddies love to moan, whinge, monk, complain about pretty much anything and everything, including the supposedly substandard weapons they’re expected to use. Added to that, they’re also very conservative with a small c, and utterly resistant to change. Put all of that into a bottle, and there’s no way the SA80 would be positively received. But you know what? I actually thought it was okay. My military career was hardly Bravo Two Zero, but in my three years in the RAF Regiment, which included one tour of duty in the Gulf, the SA80 I was issued with as my personal weapon was the absolute least of my problems.
So, yes, the SA80, an unsung, under rated hero of the British armed forces.
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