A lot of things could be improved by ditching unnecessary TOPLs. I have to have one to do orienteering in a local park as it’s AT but could rock up and do sports without one
I really like it. Personally I have no interest in fieldcraft but seeing it laid out in a user friendly manner like that makes a lot of sense. Much like the rest of the PTS it would give the cadets a sense of progression absent at the moment.
I like that but you’ll undoubtedly have someone moan about the ‘untactical’ colours!
My suggestion would be keep the JL design but change the silvery-blue triangle to a PTS-level coloured one (ie OG/blue, OG/bronze, OG/silver and OG/gold).
I’m afraid that your thought process is deeply flawed.
Firstly, how is spending an additional £35 per Airsoft rifle, and then paying someone to adapt it, cheaper than using a rifle we already own, and have already paid for?
Secondly, it will not be cheaper, or more sustainable. I would put money on the Airsoft rifle you’ve spotted being produced in China. The MOD will not purchase any Item which has produced by a company with dubious labour policies. Plus, it will have to go through rigorous testing to ensure it won’t fall apart and injure any cadets on exercise. All of which will push the price up.
Thirdly, one of the reasons why using imitation weapons in fieldcraft is banned, is that it could expose cadets to incorrect drills, and unsafe practices.
The L85 is an assault rifle. It’s designed to be used and abused in arduous conditions. The L98 is the cadet variant, and shares many common parts. It’s safe to say that any cadet exercise will not put the L98 beyond it’s design parameters. They are fairly robust.
The rifle doesn’t care if it’s firing blanks on a training are, or live rounds on a range. It just does what it’s designed to do.
The picture you’ve posted is of an L103, not an Airsoft rifle btw.
I am aware, I did say that it could look like the Drill Purpose rifle.
As an ex airsofter it would take less then 10 minutes to strip the RIF and pull out the spring making it useless, lets not throw money away. As it is not a rifle it would not need an armourer, then again it’s the MOD and it probably would.
I’m not going to get political if they wont buy from them fair enough.
If they are to treat it the same as an actual rifle how would they be exposed to incorrect drills ? surely thats down to the instructor to instruct them ? more sustainable is due to the fact we are not using actual weapons meaning they can be used for target shooting rather than a blanks ex.
Would you prefer them to use the wooden cut outs from Cadet Direct ? but then again can we ? are they tested as wood can snap easily and could injure a Cadet.
Biggest thing that will need to run alongside it is staff development so as they are current and competent to deliver it.
It’s a chicken and egg scenario but if you utilise service resources to do initial delivery of the stuff we shouldn’t be delivering at the moment then you can get a team trained up who can then deliver to other RAF AC staff.
Yes and no - certainly to bronze level it should be no problem for any staff currently qualified.
There is some extra stuff at silver (tactics) level but nothing too onerous, and the silver (weapons) stuff would need qualified staff in the same way as any other armed fieldcraft.
They won’t be able to treat it the same. It’s nothing to do with the instructor.
NSPs will vary (simply because An Airsoft rifle will not have the same internals as the real thing).
Stripping an Airsoft rifle, and the stripping the L98/L103 rifle for daily cleaning will not be the same.
By training one way, then live firing another, we will be introducing an extra level of risk. What if a cadet fails to check the chamber during NSPs on the range because he’s used to operating with a plastic replica that doesn’t have one?
Regardless of the relaxation of the rules, I doubt that there will be such widespread use on exercises that units wishing to shoot will be unable to. Besides, why should live firing take priority…
As said, SST is everything. The L98 already has all the boxes ticked. Cadets will already know and be trained and tested on that weapon. When they return to the range (when it’s far more critical) after a dry exercise they are using the same drills. When they progress to B+P, with the exception of adding the SBFS the drills are the same, no other weapons training should be required.
After every use they are cleaned before being signed back in.
The big brother of this system has been abused in far more damaging environments than your average UK DTE site by gorilla fingered service personnel and (mostly) survived.
There is no case for the introduction of an FT only weapon - especially when we’re already whinging about various budgets.
