Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle (SCAR)
Special Operations Forces Combat Rifle (SCR)
SOPMOD Enhanced Carbine (EC)
SCAR Contract Award
The SCAR program was conducted in a full and open competition and was operator envisioned, tested, and chosen with full operator involvement. It was developed to provide the flexibility to match the way special operations forces (SOF) operations were conducted. This included an increased need for modularity and reliability that reduced maintenance, improved effectiveness, and maximized the efficiency of weight carried by Operators.
On on 5 November 2004, USSOCOM announced that the winner for the initial SCAR contracts was FN USA, the US-based subsidiary of the famous Belgian company Fabrique Nationale Herstal (FN Herstal). FN Manufacturing LLC, located in Columbia, South Carolina, was a precision machining manufacturer specializing in the production of small arms. Existing products included M16 and M240 machine guns, M249 SAW, and the FNP Polymer 49 pistol for military and law enforcement markets. The FN SCAR rifles were not based on any previous weapons, but designed from scratch. The SCAR would be built at the FN Manufacturing LLC, plant in Columbia, South Carolina, which employed approximately 500 people.
The program originally had 4 increments, which had been condensed based on early demonstrations of the SCAR-H prototypes. The condensed increments allowed the production and fielding of the SCAR-H concurrently with the SCAR-L. The increments were:
- Increment #1: Development of SCAR-L with integrated EGLM and development of SCAR-H;
- Increment #2: Ensuring Enhanced Grenade Launcher Module (EGLM) Compatibility;
- Increment #3: Production of the SCAR in Enhanced Calibers as Directed by USSOCOM and the Integrated Product Team; Development of the EGLM and 40mm ammunition enhancements; and
- Increment #4: Continue Development of SCAR and EGLM Capabilities.
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