The UK Ministry of Defence announced in a tender published on 26 July that the British Army is looking to equip its new Special Operations Brigade with a new rifle, with up to 10,000 systems to be procured. The Alternate Individual Weapon (AIW) system, consisting of a 5.56 mm rifle, a signature-reduction system and an optical system, will provide the new Special Operations Brigade with an alternative armament to the SA80A2 and SA80A3 weapons currently in service. Suitable suppliers will receive an invitation to tender to compete for up to six framework agreements to provide between 88 and 528 weapons for trials. Two competitions will then take place for the rifle system and optic system respectively, with the winning bidders for each receiving 10-year supply and support framework contracts for an initial requirement of about 3,000 weapon systems, with options for a total fleet requirement of about 10,000 units worth up to GBP90 million (nearly USD106 million).
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