Royal Marine Commandos get state-of-the-art new assault rifles

Royal Marine Commandos get state-of-the-art new assault rifles and night vision goggles and helmets that will make them ‘stealthier and deadlier’

• Knight’s Stoner 1 (KS-1) rifle has been added to UK Commando forces’ armoury

Royal Marine Commandos have been kitted out with state-of-the-art new rifles and night vision goggles that will make them ‘stealthier and deadlier’.

The Knight’s Stoner 1 (KS-1) rifle is the prized new addition in the arsenal of the UK Commando forces working in ‘lead strike teams’ – responsible for raids on land and sea worldwide.

More than a thousand of the new rifles have been bought from US producers Knight’s Armament Company.

The weapons come with advanced optical and thermal sights as well as suppressor (silencer) systems to make commandos harder to trace and ‘more formidable’ in combat.

Captain Nick Unwin, programme director, said: ‘Delivery of quality equipment such as we see today is a genuine increase in capability and capacity for the UK’s Commando force strike teams and offers significant tactical advantage to the user.

Royal Marines using the new rifle and kit rolled out to the Commando Force, wielding the new KS-1 rifle with silencer and wearing new helmets

More than a thousand of the new rifles have been bought from US producers Knight’s Armament Company

The weapons come with advanced optical and thermal sights as well as suppressor (silencer) systems to make commandos harder to trace and ‘more formidable’ in combat

Captain Nick Unwin said: ‘Delivery of quality equipment such as we see today is a genuine increase in capability and capacity for the UK’s Commando force strike teams’

‘The Commando force programme is delivering change across all areas of amphibious operations. 

‘This is just one small part of the wider change programme we are all embarked upon as we adjust to evolving threats and challenges.’

Alongside this new rifle and a new helmet made by Gentex, troops will also receive  night vision goggles, tactical communications systems, battlefield vehicles and ‘survivability systems’, including new helmets, communications and suppressors which make the force more difficult to detect, all be rolled out by the Royal Navy from 2024.

The night vision goggles produced by L3Harris, giving commandos an advantage over their adversaries in night-time coastal operations, or as they move in darkness through confined spaces.

The Commando Force regularly deploys around the globe in all extremes of environment – arctic, desert and jungle – reacting to crises and conducting a range of complex operations, including counter piracy and terrorism, drugs busts and humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

It means there is a need to put top-end kit in the hands of warriors to give them the upper hand on the battlefield.

Alongside this new rifle and a new helmet made by Gentex, troops will also receive night vision goggles, tactical communications systems, battlefield vehicles and ‘survivability systems’, including new helmets, communications and suppressors

The Commando Force regularly deploys around the globe in all extremes of environment – arctic, desert and jungle – reacting to crises

Britain’s commandos carry out complex operations, including counter piracy and terrorism, drugs busts and humanitarian aid and disaster relief

The Knight’s Stoner 1 (KS-1) rifle is the prized new addition in the arsenal of the UK Commando forces working in ‘lead strike teams’ – responsible for raids on land and sea worldwide

Commando Forces are also exploring how to use the night vision kit alongside digital communications systems, providing a live feed to the goggles to help commanders assess the battlefield and make decisions

More than a thousand of these have been procured and the systems feature advanced low-light image intensification with a fused thermal input.

It means the devices include both night vision and thermal sensor superimposed into a single image for the operator – that far outperforms older systems currently used by the UK’s Armed Forces.

Commando Forces are also exploring how to use the night vision kit alongside digital communications systems, providing a live feed to the goggles to help commanders assess the battlefield and make decisions.

Meanwhile, advances are being made with upgrades to the Sharpshooter rifle.

The Lewis Machine and Tool L129A2 rifle is an improvement on the well-established Sharpshooter with new Leupold scopes and HuxWrx suppressors, making it more accurate and quieter.

It is also equipped with an Envision Technology ballistic calculator and a Pixels-on-Target thermal sight. Each Commando Strike Team will comprise two designated expert shooters equipped with these upgraded rifles.

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