| |
| XL70E3 | |
| Weapon class |
Assault Rifle |
| Magazine Size |
20 or 30 rounds |
| Used by |
British Army (trials) |
The XL70E3 was a prototype assault rifle developed by RSAF Enfield in the early 1970s.
History[]
After the failure of the 4.85mm XL64 EWS series due to NATO's adoption of the 5.56mm SS109 cartridge, Enfield started work on an improved model chambered for 5.56mm NATO ammunition. The XL70E3, as it became known, could be fed through 20 or 30-round magazines. It weighed 4.28kg when loaded with a 20-round magazine and 4.68kg when loaded with a 30-round magazine. The XL70E3's rate of fire was around 850 rounds per minute, and it had an effective range of up to 400 metres. It was reported to have performed poorly in certain conditions and so further improvements were made. This eventually led to the creation of the SA80 assault rifle.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||