75th Rangers To Bring The New SCAR to War in Afghanistan

The new SCAR, which stands for SOF Combat Assault Rifle, is being brought to war in Afghanistan by the 75th Rangers and this article here at Family Security Matters details more about the versatility of the weapon. From the article:

The 600 SCARs are the first of 1,800 that U.S. Special Operations Command began fielding in early April, SOCom spokeswoman Air Force Maj. Denise Boyd told Army Times.

SOCom chose the SCAR system -- which consists of the 5.56mm MK16 and the 7.62mm MK17 -- to replace weapons including the 5.56mm M4A1 carbine, made by Colt Defense LLC.

The SCAR has a short-stroke, gas-piston operating system. The upper receiver is aluminum and houses a free-floating barrel for improved accuracy. The lower receiver is polymer to help reduce weight. Both versions can be equipped with different barrel lengths to suit missions ranging from close-quarter fights to long-range shooting.

Operators can chose a 10-inch, 14-inch or 18-inch barrel for the MK16 and a 13-inch, 16-inch or 20-inch barrel for the heavier MK17. Each of these can be changed out by the shooter in minutes, FN officials say. The MK16 uses a 30-round magazine; the MK17 uses a 20-rounder. Eighty percent of the parts are common to both the light and heavy versions to reduce long-term maintenance costs, FN officials say.

The SCAR also includes the MK13 40mm grenade launcher, designed to fit on both the MK16 and MK17 or fire in the stand-alone mode.

And here's an older video of the SCAR's operational features and components: