Senior British Army and Royal Marines officers led by Gen
                    Sir Mike Jackson, who commanded the allied force that
                    occupied Kosovo, insisted yesterday that the modified
                    SA80 A2 rifle was a "highly reliable" weapon.

                    Gen Jackson, now Commander-in-Chief Land Forces, said
                    problems with the rifle in Afghanistan occurred because
                    Royal Marines were not properly instructed in how to
                    clean it.

                    The weapons had been re-tested both in Afghanistan and
                    later more extensively in Oman. "After pretty intensive
                    trials and exercises we are confident that we have got the
                    weapon we need and want," he said.

                    "I am clear that the SA80 A2 lives up to and in some
                    cases surpasses expectations, with the proviso that
                    correct maintenance regime is followed. It does what it is
                    designed to do and it does it well." In a show of unity,
                    following repeated claims by anonymous Army officers
                    that the Marines were to blame for the Afghanistan
                    stoppages, Gen Jackson was backed by Gen Tony Milton,
                    Commandant General Royal Marines.

                    Gen Milton said he would not be backing the SA80 A2 if he
                    did not believe it worked. "I'm not going to have my
                    marines sent into combat with a weapon they do not have
                    confidence in," he said.

                    The MoD added to the impression of total unity by
                    producing a Royal Marine sergeant who had used the
                    weapon in Afghanistan and a Parachute Regiment
                    sergeant who had been in Sierra Leone when the old
                    SA80 jammed under fire.

                    Sgt Alan Chick, of 1 Bn, the Parachute Regiment, who had
                    taken part in a recent exercise in the Omani desert in
                    which the modified rifle had been buried in the sand and
                    still worked, described it as "the BMW of weapons
                    systems". MoD officials confirmed that the original trials in
                    Kuwait, Brunei, Alaska and Warminster had been carried
                    out on plastic sheeting but said this was not to protect the
                    weapon but to make the collection of spent cartridge
                    cases easier.

                    They also admitted that the weapons were taken to the
                    range in bags but said that after firing they were
                    "variously left on the sand behind, or around, the firing
                    area."

                    At a recent exercise in Oman the weapon had
                    out-performed other weapons fired alongside it, Gen
                    Jackson said.

                    Brig Seymour Monro, the former Director of Infantry, has
                    said that the MoD should consider scrapping the rifle and
                    that the SA80 machinegun, the Light Support Weapon,
                    should be scrapped.

                    Officials said they were considering buying a more
                    powerful machinegun to "augment" the SA80.
 

                      27 September 2002: Army chief 'wanted rifle scrapped' 

                      11 August 2002: Army to scrap 'unreliable' SA-80 rifle 

                      1 August 2002: Tanks, guns and boots all failed Army in desert 

                      26 July 2002: Army trials of new SA-80 rifle 'were fudged'

                      21 July 2002: Marines blamed for rifle failure

                      7 July 2002: Scrap British rifle and buy Heckler, say the generals 

                      6 July 2002: Army's £93m revamped rifle 'still misfiring' 

                      24 December 2001: Marines sent to Kabul with faulty rifle 

                      16 October 2001: Rifles up-dated in time for invasion 
 

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