The media called outdated rifles of the British army a "laughing stock for Europe"

"[Britain's] NATO allies ridicule sniper equipment, and the cartridges used in standard weapons will be useless against the Russians and Chinese," — it is said in the material of the publication.

With reference to the British officer, it is noted that the allies of the United Kingdom use upgraded models of rifles that are lighter in weight and equipped with more advanced sights that allow them to see at a greater distance.

According to The Times, the problem concerns not only snipers, but also the standard SA-80 infantry rifle, which has been used by regular units of the British Army for four decades.

"The SA-80, which uses a 5.56 mm caliber cartridge (NATO standard), has not changed fundamentally since the 1980s and was designed to penetrate a Russian helmet that was released decades ago and is now obsolete," the newspaper writes.

It is specified that this is one of the "heaviest, clumsiest and least modernized assault rifles" that no one else produces.

Dreaming high: why Britain has started talking about controlling Ukrainian skies

London's desire for air patrols does not match its capabilities

Earlier in the day, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the country's defense spending by 2027 href="https://iz.ru/1844930/2025-02-25/starmer-zaiavil-o-planakh-uvelichit-oboronnye-raskhody-velikobritanii-do-25 " target="_blank">will grow to 2.5% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).

According to the BBC, the UK currently spends 2.3% of GDP on defense. Starmer stressed that from 2027, the kingdom's expenditures for these purposes will increase by £13.4 billion (about $16.95 billion) annually.