The C8 had been in limited used by 43 Commando already but it is understood by IHS Janes that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) bought a further 300 of the Canadian-made carbines as part of a re-equipment effort that was completed at the end of 2015. The C8 is now 43 Commando’s standard weapon.
The unit is the first outside of the Special Forces to completely drop the L85A2 in favour of the L119. Aside from United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF), the L119 is in various degrees of use by 16 Air Assault Brigade’s Pathfinder Platoon and the Royal Military Police Close Protection Unit. The Special Forces fleet of L119A1s were upgraded to L119A2 standard in 2013. While not specified in the article, it is likely that the new buy of 300 L119s was of the A2 model. Read more Here
