L119A2 – Colt Canada C8 Upgrade

In July 2013 the MoD issued a contract award notice that detailed a mid life upgrade for the whole fleet of Cold Canada C8 carbines in service with the UK armed forces as the L119A1.
I covered it here
The upgrade has now been listed on the Colt Canada website and is said to include
  • Custom integrated upper receiver
  • Custom flash compensator
  • Custom tan furniture
  • Ambidextrous controls
  • Custom buttstock
Custom everything it would seem!
Before
C8 SFW 640x215 L119A2 Colt Canada C8 Upgrade
C8 SFW (L119A1)
After
L119A2 C8 SFW 640x304 L119A2 Colt Canada C8 Upgrade
L119A2 C8 SFW

H/T Sinlesssorrow from the M4Carbine forum


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Think Defence hopes to start sensible conversations about UK defence issues, no agenda or no campaign but there might be one or two posts on containers, bridges and mexeflotes!

8 thoughts on “L119A2 – Colt Canada C8 Upgrade”

  1. x June 24, 2014 at 6:39 am
    Custom everything? I am not sure about the flash suppressor (there are a lot out there) but all those extras are off the shelf, Magpul by the looks of them. And an integrated upper receiver is just marketing talk, there are a surprising number of custom uppers out there that are not quite as Mr Stoner intended them to be and I don’t just mean different calibres.
    Anyway as I said here,
    all we need is 100,00 copies!
  3. monkey June 24, 2014 at 9:00 am
    The MoD really have fell out with BAE , surely the best in class for upgrades to the AR series is the HK416 / HK417.However that HK is Heckler and Koch a wholly owned subsidiary of BAE. And it is expensive too so they really must of not wanted to give them the order. I have heard that the Norwegian Army which use the 416 variant as their standard issue rifle have had some service problems,can anyone elaborate?
  6. x June 24, 2014 at 9:54 am
    @ ACC
    I don’t think the Danes. Cloggies, Norwegians, Canucks, Icelanders, or our RMP and Pathfinders see it as niche.
  7. Radish 293 June 24, 2014 at 11:28 am
    Looks like the MARS Modular Assault Rifle System procurement really is dead in the water.
    http://www.government-online.net/supply-of-modular-assault-rifle-system/
    I read recently that it had been put on hold. It was supposed to start delivering weapons this financial year but all went quiet.
    I never been able to find who the contenders were.
    The C8 upgrade was announced a long way ahead of the MARS project ending.
    Interestingly MARS it was to deliver a 5.56 weapon as a standard for the Police as well. At the moment the most Popular is the HK MP5 but this doesn’t have the punch at longer ranges hence why there is a move to 5.56 but its a mixed bag with different forces buying different weapons.
    I heard recently that the Sig MPX (https://www.sigsauer.com/Catalog/sig-mpx.aspx) is under evaluation with favourable reports. so perhaps the Police will be sticking with 9mm after all.
  8. x June 24, 2014 at 11:40 am
    “Modular Assault Rifle System”
    That’s where “we” go wrong though isn’t it? Whatever replaces L85A2 will be a DI AR. “We” can’t just go select 4 rifles and test them. No “we” have to call it a stupid name. Wrap it up in a load of doctrinal BS that nobody reads or understands because everybody knows what is wanted. How do we manage to make small purchases that work like C7/8? And then what about left field bonkers decisions like MoD Plod with MP7 (and 4.6mm) ?
    Apparently the Germans are having problems with G36.