Type: Assault Rifle

Nations: United States, Poland, Singapore, Finland, Bosnia, Chile, Brazil +

Branch: Armed Forces

Time Period: 2009-present (2020)

Conflicts: Global War on Terrorism, War in Afghanistan

Other Names: SCAR, Mk16, SCAR 16, SCAR Light

Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO

Facts: Presented by FN Herstal in 2004 for the US Army’s Special-Operations-Force Combat Assault Rifle (SCAR) program, the SCAR-L underwent testing to replace the M4A1, Mk18 and the Mk12 Special Purpose Rifle (SPR) with Special Operations Forces. The rifle preformed well and was fielded in 2009 as the Mk16 in US SOCOM, but it’s service life would be short lived. SOCOM stated in 2011 that the rifle would no longer be purchased due to budget constraints and lack of performance over other 5.56x45mm NATO rifles to justify the cost. By 2013 the Mk16 was almost completely phased out of US SOCOM with exception being with Naval Special Warfare, who had contracted more over a 5 year period from 2013 to 2018. The SCAR-L CQC is equipped with a 10 inch barrel. It has a slow rate of fire at only around 625 rounds per minute which assists with controllability. The SCAR-L also uses a monolithic upper rail for optics and is also with rails attached to the handguard to allow for lights, lasers and grips.