Enfield SA80

The SA80 (Small Arms for the 1980s) is a series of 5.56x45mm bullpup assault rifles and light support weapons designed on the operation of the Armalite AR-18 and SAR-87 (An advanced AR-18 made by the rival company Sterling Armaments of Dagenham), and produced from 1985 to 1994 by the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock.

In 1988 production of the rifle was transferred to the Royal Ordnance's Nottingham Small Arms Facility (later British Aerospace, Royal Ordnance; now BAE Systems Land Systems Munitions & Ordnance).

Unlike other bullpup weapons like the FAMAS and AUG series, the L85 series has no ambidextrous ejection port, forcing it to be used right-handed only.

The SA80 can be seen in the following films, television series, anime and video games used by the following actors:

Specifications

(1985-1994)

• Type: Assault Rifle
• Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
• Capacity: 20, 30-round STANAG Magazines
• Fire Modes: Semi/Auto (safety is separate from fire selector)

L85

L85A1

L85A1 - 5.56x45mm NATO

L85A1 with SUSAT scope - 5.56x45mm NATO

L85A1 with SUSAT scope - 5.56x45mm NATO

The original variant of the SA80 series issued to the British forces. These were manufactured by Royal Ordnance (formerly known as Enfield) from 1985 until 1994 after the notorious faults of the weapon in battlefield conditions.

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Aliens			Seen on gun rack on Sulaco in extended edition	1986
Patriot Games		British Army Guards	With covered SUSAT scopes and bayonets	1992
Patriot Games		British Army soldiers	With SUSAT scopes	1992
Police Story 3: Supercop		Royal Hong Kong police officer		1992
Cyber Tracker			Seen in armory	1994
The Devil's Own		British Army soldiers	With SUSAT scopes	1997
K-911			Seen in Phil Cage's armory	1999
28 Days Later		British soldiers	With SUSAT scopes, with and without bayonet	2002
28 Days Later	Naomie Harris	Selena	With SUSAT scopes, with and without bayonet	2002
Dog Soldiers		British Army soldiers	With blank-firing adaptors and SUSAT scopes	2002
Underworld			With SUSAT scope, seen on gun rack	2003
In Her Line of Fire		One of the rebels	With SUSAT scopes	2006
Resident Evil: Extinction	Linden Ashby	Chase	With M68 Aimpoint red dot scope	2007
Doomsday		British Army Guards	Appear to be old airsoft toys (due to mini Union Flag near butt plate)	2008
Punisher: War Zone			Seen on gun rack	2009
Kick-Ass			Seen on gun rack	2010

Television

Show Title	Actor	Character	Note/Episode	Air Date
Soldier Soldier	Robson Green	Dave Tucker	w/ SUSAT scopes, w/ and without bayonets and protective covers	1991 - 1997
Soldier Soldier		British Army soldiers	w/ SUSAT scopes, w/ and without bayonets and protective covers	1991 - 1997
Mr.Bean		Training British Army soldiers	"Back to School, Mr. Bean" (S1E11)	1990-1995
Mr.Bean	Rupert Vansittart	Guard Watchman	"Goodnight, Mr. Bean" (S1E13); with bayonet	1990-1995
Warriors, BBC	Ioan Gruffudd	Lt. John Feeley	w/SUSAT scope	1999
	Matthew Macfadyen	Pvt. Alan James
	Damian Lewis	Lt. Neil Loughrey
	Cal Macaninch	Sgt. Andre Sochanik
		British Soldiers
Dempsey and Makepeace		Mark Ryan	"Extreme Prejudice" (S03E05)	2002 - 2006
		British soldiers	"Extreme Prejudice" (S03E05)
Firefly	???	Alliance soldiers	w/SUSAT scopes	2002
Firefly	Eddie Adams	Bendis	"Serenity" (S01E01)	2002
Ultimate Force		British MOD police	w/SUSAT scopes	2002 - 2006
		SAS troopers	w/SUSAT scopes, only used for ceremonial occasions
Red Cap	Tamzin Outhwaite, others	British Army	W/SUSATs or Iron Sights	2003 - 2004
Zero Hour	???	British Army soldiers		2004-2007
Battlestar Galactica		Honor guards	w/white-painted handguard and lower receiver	2004 - 2009
Battlestar Galactica		Caprica Resistance fighters	w/ SUSAT scopes, "Resistance", "The Farm"	2005
Situation Critical		British Army soldiers	w/SUSAT scopes	2007
The Day of the Triffids (2009)		British Army soldiers		2009
Occupation	Stephen Graham	Danny	w/SUSAT scope	2009
	James Nesbitt	Mike Swift
	Adam Beresford	Richard Swift
	Warren Brown	Lee Hibbs
		British Soldiers
Midsomer Murders		UK Territorial Army soldiers	"Days of Misrule" (S11E06)	2009
Accused, BBC	MacKenzie Crook	LCpl. Alan Buckley	w/SUSAT scope (S01EP02) "Frankies story"	2010
	Ben Smith	Pvt. Frankie Nash
	Ben Batt	Pvt. Peter MacShane
		British Soldiers
Caprica		Caprican police officer		2010
Midsomer Murders		RAF personnel	W/SUSAT Scopes; "The Incident at Cooper Hill" (S18E02)	2016

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear		w/ SUSAT scope		1999
Ghost Recon	SA80	w/ SUSAT scope		2001
Battlefield 2		w/ SUSAT scope		2005
Black			Stock footage	2006
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl	IL86	w/optional M203 grenade launcher and suppressor	Erroneously shown with controls inverted onto the lefthand side	2007
Cross Fire			with SUSAT scope	2007
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky				2008
Combat Arms				2008
War Inc. Battlezone				2011
ZombiU	SA80A2			2012
Jagged Alliance: Back in Action	L85			2012
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	SA87		Created by fitting the L86A1 with the "SA87 18.2" Factory" barrel	2019

Anime

Film/Series Title	Character	Notation	Date
Akira	Neo Tokyo Police troops	w/SUSAT scopes	1987
Seven Cities Story: Arctic Front	Kung Lung		1994
Spriggan	British (?) troops		1994
Ergo Proxy	Scavengers	"Return Home/Domecoming" (E06)	2006
Upotte!!	Eru		2012

L85A2

L85A2 - 5.56x45mm NATO

L85A2 with SUSAT scope - 5.56x45mm NATO

L85A2 Theatre Entry Standard (TES) with magazine removed - 5.56x45mm NATO. The TES variant replaces the original handguard with a Daniel Defense quad-rail handguard, and also features a vertical Grippod, interim weapon sight adapter system which mounts an ACOG 4x scope (and an RMR), and a Surefire FHSA80SA "Vortex" flash hider.

File:L85A2 with UGL.jpg

L85A2 fitted with underslung L123A2 grenade launcher - 5.56x45mm, 40x46mm

The L85A2 is a revamped version of the L85A1 with improved components, most notably the external 'Comma' shaped combined charging handle/brass deflector and stronger internal parts. The upgrading of L85A1 rifles to the L85A2 standard was carried out by Heckler & Koch (which, at the time, belonged to BAE) between 2002 and 2006; since then further improvements have been made in response to operational requirements, including new RIS/RAS equipped handguards made by Daniel Defense and the adoption of the ACOG sight by some units in Afghanistan. The new handguards and the adoption of the ELCAN Spectre as the official replacement of the SUSAT will be applied to all British Army units over the next three to four years.

The L85A2 are also currently issued with Magpul EMAGs.

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Children of Men		British soldiers	With SUSAT scopes	2006
The Mark of Cain	Shaun Dooley	Corporal Gant	With SUSAT scope	2007
The Mark of Cain	Leo Gregory	L/Cpl Quealy	With SUSAT scope	2007
The Mark of Cain	Matthew McNulty	Pte Shane Gulliver	With SUSAT scope	2007
The Mark of Cain	Gerard Kearns	Pte Mark "Treacle" Tate	With SUSAT scope	2007
The Mark of Cain		British soldiers	With SUSAT scopes	2007
Cockneys vs. Zombies			With SUSAT scopes	2012
How I Live Now		British Army soldiers	With SUSAT scopes	2013
Kilo Two Bravo		British Army soldiers		2015
London Has Fallen		Queen's Guard		2016
Terminator: Dark Fate			Seen in weapons cache	2019

Television

Show Title	Actor	Character	Note/Episode	Air Date
Sherlock	???	British Army soldier	w/SUSAT scope, S01E01 - "A Study in Pink"	2010
Doctor Who	???	British Army paratroopers	w/and w/out Surefire weaponlights	2005 - ????
Ultimate Force	???	British Army soldiers	w/SUSAT scopes	2002 - 2006
Midsomer Murders			Seen on the photo of British Army soldiers (S21E01)	2020

Anime

Title	Character	Note	Date
Ghost in the Shell S.A.C. 2nd GIG	British soldiers	With futuristic furniture, cybernetic sights and underbarrel M203	2004-2005
Upotte!!			2012 - ????

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Delta Force: Task Force Dagger	Sa-80 A2	w/SUSAT scope		2002
Söldner: Secret Wars				2004
Battlefield 2		With L123A2 grenade launcher		2005
Project Reality		With Grippod foregrip and optional L123A2 grenade launcher, ACOG or SUSAT scopes		2005
Alliance of Valiant Arms		With EOTech red dot sight or ACOG scope		2007
Rainbow Six: Vegas 2		w/various optional accessories		2008
7.62 High Calibre			w/ various attachments	2008
Counter-Strike Online				2009
ArmA II	L85A2	w/ RIS, SUSAT, EOTech sights; also can be fitted with L123A2 grenade launcher		2010
Battlefield 3	L85A2	With various accessories		2011
Battlefield Play4Free		With black furniture and optional EOTech red dot sight or M145 MGO scope		2011
Sleeping Dogs		Fictional/futuristic version fitted with L123A2 grenade launcher	Part of Tactical Soldier Pack DLC	2012
State of Decay	"L85A1"	w/SUSAT scope	added in Breakdown DLC	2013
	"L41A1"		with L41A1 .22LR conversion kit, added in Breakdown DLC
Battlefield 4	L85A2	With various accessories	Fitted with Daniel Defense railed foregrip and Magpuls on the magazines	2013
Warface			railed handguard	2013
Rainbow Six: Siege	L85A2			2015
Survarium				2016
Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades	L85A2	Optional SUSAT scope		2016
Ghost Recon: Wildlands			Fitted with Daniel Defense railed foregrip	2017
World War 3	SA-80		Added in 2019 update	2018
Insurgency: Sandstorm	L85A2			2018

L22

SA80 AFV Prototype

SA80 AFV prototype with SUSAT scope - 5.56x45mm NATO

In 1989 Enfield speculatively produced a shortened variant of the SA80 for potential use by vehcile crews and other troops not requiring a full length rifle. Contrary to internet lore these were not built from surplus L86A1s, as shown by the lack of the LSW bipod outrigger holes in the receiver, and are instead built from standard L85A1 receivers. This confusion possibly comes from the fact that the vertical grip is the same as the rear grip from an LSW. The weapon proved very unreliable (moreso even than standard A1 SA80s) due to issues with shortening the gas system that were never fully resolved.

The SA80 AFV prototype was not made for a specific MOD requirement and saw little, if any, official testing by British forces. Supposedly a small batch was produced for trialls by an unspecified middle eastern country, however these weapons were destroyed in a warehouse fire. The only surviving examples of this weapon bear commercial Enfield markings rather than British military markings giving some credence to this story.

With the introduction of the L22A2 this weapon has been been retroactively referred to as the L22A1 (even in Ministry of Defence documentation) and is often referred to as such - however this is incorrect as it was never close to adoption and being given an official 'L' designation, being known only as an SA80 AFV or Armoured Fighting Vehicle.

Television

Show Title	Actor	Character	Note / Episode	Air Date
The Blacklist			Airsoft replica / "Anslo Garrick (No. 16)" (S01E09)	2013

L22A2

L22A2 with 20-round magazine and SUSAT scope - 5.56x45mm NATO

In 2003 Heckler & Koch began production of a carbine variant of the SA80 known as the L22A2 which was intended for use as a personal defense weapon by helicopter aircrew and armoured vehicle crews. They have also been issued on occasion to troops not requiring a full size rifle, such as drivers, dog handlers and combat cameramen, as well as Royal Navy and Royal Marine boarding parties. In form it is very similar to the failed 1989 AFV prototype, however H&K have solved the reliability issues caused by the shortening of the gas system. H&K also produced a new 20 round magazine that doesn't protrude past the grip of the L22A2 allowing it to be more conveniently stowed in racks inside various vehicles.

The designation of this carbine is a subject of some confusion, with the argument being made that it cannot be an A2 as despite the fact that it has the "A2" upgrades it is the first weapon to receive the L22 designation so it should logically be the L22A1. However, the right side of the magazine well is marked "L22 A2 5.56 x 45", it has an "A2" stamp on the top of the receiver, and is referred to as the L22A2 in official Ministry of Defence documentation, with the earlier prototype sometimes being retroactively referred to as the L22A1.

As with the AFV prototype, it is often stated that these weapons were made from surplus LSWs, and again this can be seen to be untrue from the fact that there are no mounting holes for the LSW outrigger on the receiver. Instead, these appear to have been made from surplus L85A1s that were not yet converted to the A2 standard.

Video Games

Game Title	Referred as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Project Reality		With SUSAT scope		2005
7.62 High Calibre			w/ various attachments	2008
Killing Floor	Bullpup	with EOTech XPS sight and 40-round magazine		2009
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier	L22A2		w/ various attachments	2012

L86

L86A1

L86A1 with SUSAT scope - 5.56x45mm NATO

The L86A1 Light Support Weapon is the sustained fire variant of the SA80 series. Many have been replaced by the FN Minimi in this role or converted into L22 Carbines for AFV/Chopper crew members as a personal defense weapon.

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
A Sound of Thunder		Apartment Resident	Lacks either iron sights or optics	2005

Television

Title	Actor	Character	Note/Episode	Date
Soldier Soldier		British Army Soldiers	w/various optics, w/ and w/O BFAs	1991-1997
Red Cap		British Army Soldiers	w/SUSAT optic	2003-2004

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Fallout 2	Light Support Weapon	converted to a sniper rifle	features tan plastics, lengthened barrel	1998
7.62 High Calibre				2008
Modern Warfare 2		w/ RIS foregrip, suppressor, red dot sight, EOtech holographic sight, SUSAT, thermal sight and/or extended magazine		2009
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3	L86 LSW			2011
Battlefield 3			Available in Close Quarter expansion	2012
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	SA87		Thirty round magazine by default, includes elements of L85A1	2019

Anime

Title	Character	Note	Date
Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail		Seen on wall, with SUSAT scope	2010

L86A2

L86A2 with SUSAT scope - 5.56x45mm NATO

A revamped L86A1 LSW. The L86A2 is in limited usage alongside the FN Minimi, only for DMR purposes as it has superior accuracy/range. The L86A2 is also used by the ACF but only 3-Star+ Trained Cadets are allowed to use this weapon.

As of 2009/10, further modifications have been made to L86A2s used in Afghanistan. These have the current foreguards replaced with the DD-quad RAS foreguard (with the ability to add various extras on all surfaces, such as foregrips or flashlights). The outrigger under the barrel can been removed (but bipod retained) or replaced with a RIS/RAS rail system. SUSATs retained, with the intention of replacing them with ELCAN Spectre optics. These modifications have only been made to a select few units L86A2 DMRs. Those units not in, or immediately going to Afghanistan have yet to receive the upgrades.

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Our Girl		British soldiers		2013

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Project Reality		optional SUSAT scope		2005
Cross Fire	"L86 LSW"			2007
ArmA II		Trijicon ACOG	Added in Operation Arrowhead: British Armed Forces	2010
Battlefield Play4Free		With black furniture and optional EOTech red dot sight or M145 MGO scope		2011
Ghost Recon: Phantoms	L86		w/ railed handguard	2014
World of Guns: Gun Disassembly	L86A2 LSW	SUSAT scope	incorrectly belongs to the Assault rifles	2014
Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex First Assault	L86-SEO	w/ various attachments	Added via the "Fear the Unknown" update	2015
The Division	L86 LSW			2016
The Division 2	L86 LSW			2019
Ghost Recon Breakpoint				2019

L98A2

L98A2 Cadet General Purpose (GP) Rifle

A manually-operated version of the L85 used for weapons training.

L98A2 Cadet General Purpose (GP) Rifle - 5.56x45mm NATO. It is similar to the L85, but lacks the gas components, instead being a manually operated, single-shot weapon, with a cocking handle extension piece mounted on the right side of the weapon for this purpose.

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Blood Red Sky				2021

SA80 Prototypes

In 1969, Enfield began to develop a series of new Bullpup weapons for the newly-developed 4.85x49mm intermediate cartridge. The XL64E5 Individual Weapon and the XL65E4 Light Support Weapon, first unveiled in 1976, are the two components for the system. When NATO adopted the US 5.56x45mm round and began implementing cartridge standardization, the two weapons were re-chambered for the 5.56mm NATO. These are the early prototypes for the SA80 family.

XL64E5 IW

XL64E5 IW - 4.85x49mm

Television

Show Title	Actor	Character	Note/Episode	Air Date
The Professionals	Lewis Collins	Bodie	"Wild Justice" (S04E02)	1980
The Professionals	Martin Shaw	Doyle	"Wild Justice" (S04E02)	1980

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Call of Duty: Black Ops	Enfield		w/ various customization options	2010
Fallout Tactics	"XL70E3 Enfield"		fires 5.56mm rounds	2001

Anime

Film/Series Title	Character	Notation	Date
Upotte!!		w/SUSAT scope	2012 - ????

XL65E4 LSW

XL65E4 LSW - 4.85x49mm

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Fallout 2	"XL70E3"	Bipod removed	fires 5mm rounds	1998

See Also

• Royal Small Arms Factory - A list of weapons produced by RSAF Enfield