Knight's Armament Company

Last updated
Knight's Armament Company
Company type Private
Industry Defense
Founded1982;42 years ago (1982)
Headquarters Titusville, Florida, U.S.
Products Firearms, weapons, firearm accessories
Website www.KnightArmCo.com

Knight's Armament Company (KAC) is an American firearms and firearms parts manufacturer, best known for producing the Rail Interface System (RIS) and the Rail Adapter System (RAS) grips for firearms use. They currently produce a variety of firearms, specifically AR-15 rifles.

Contents

KAC is owned by C. Reed Knight and is based in Titusville, Florida. Knight's Manufacturing Company (KMC) is the division of KAC responsible for products aimed at the civilian market.

History

The United States military, as well as other special forces and police around the world, use KAC RIS/RAS conversions for many popular firearms, including the American M16/M4 rifles and Heckler & Koch MP5 series submachine guns. The RIS/RAS system allows for the mounting of accessories to firearms without additional tools or modifications. The system is utilized alongside a KAC suppressor and forward grip on the "Special Operations Peculiar MODification" (SOPMOD) M4 carbine package in use by United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). [1] [2] The mounted accessories can include tactical flashlights, laser targeting units, bipods, and vertical foregrips.

KAC produces sound suppressors for the Heckler & Koch Mark 23 SOCOM pistol. [3] KAC also produces a line of clip-on night vision and thermal weapon sights, including the AN/PVS-22 Universal Night Sight. [4] KAC produces mounts for optics and grenade launchers, as well as backup iron sights.

Knight's Armament produces a line of firearms including the semi-automatic SR-15 line of rifles, the fully automatic SR-16 carbine, the semi-automatic SR-25 sniper rifle, the SR-25 based Mark 11 Mod 0 Sniper Weapon System, and the M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System. [5] KAC designed and produces the Knight's Armament Company PDW and also produces the Stoner LMG in limited quantities. In 2011, KAC released the SR15/SR16 E3 line of rifles. [6]

In September 2023, the company was selected to provide the Knight's Stoner 1 variant of its SR-16 rifle to the British Army Special Operations Brigade and to the Royal Marines. [7] [8] [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M16 rifle</span> American assault rifle

The M16 rifle is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-round magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M4 carbine</span> American assault rifle

The M4 carbine is a 5.56×45mm NATO, gas-operated, magazine-fed carbine developed in the United States during the 1980s. It is a shortened version of the M16A2 assault rifle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M203 grenade launcher</span> Grenade launcher

The M203 is a single-shot 40 mm under-barrel grenade launcher designed to attach to a rifle. It uses the same rounds as the older stand-alone M79 break-action grenade launcher, which utilizes the high-low propulsion system to keep recoil forces low. While compatible with many weapons, the M203 was originally designed and produced by the United States military for the M16 rifle and its carbine variant, the M4. The launcher can also be mounted onto a C7, a Canadian version of the M16 rifle; this requires the prior removal of the bottom handguard.

The La France M16K is an M16 rifle modified by the company La France Specialties, which among with other firearm-related activities, convert common military weapons into more compact configurations typically for law enforcement and special forces use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mk 12 Special Purpose Rifle</span> Designated marksman rifle

The United States Navy Mk 12 MOD 0/1/H Special Purpose Rifle (SPR) is a designated marksman rifle that was in service with United States Special Operations Forces in the designated marksman role until 2017, also designed to be shorter than standard weapons. SPR initially stood for Special Purpose Receiver as it referred to an add-on upper receiver assembly, but that nomenclature changed to Special Purpose Rifle as the weapon became a stand-alone weapons system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Picatinny rail</span> Rail interface for firearm accessories

The 1913 rail, also known as the Picatinny rail is an American rail integration system designed by Richard Swan that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It forms part of the NATO standard STANAG 2324 rail. It was originally used for mounting of scopes atop the receivers of larger caliber rifles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SEAL Recon Rifle</span> Designated marksman rifle

The SEAL Recon Rifle is an American designated marksman rifle and assault rifle used by the United States Navy SEALs. Essentially a heavily modified M16 rifle, it is intended to provide SEAL snipers and designated marksmen with a versatile, accurate, lightweight, and relatively compact weapon chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squad Advanced Marksman Rifle</span> Designated marksman rifle

The Squad Advanced Marksman Rifle (SAM-R) is a semi-automatic designated marksman rifle developed and used by the United States Marine Corps. It gave users the capability to provide fire in support of a rifle squad, providing precision fire in support of an assault, and aid in observation and adjusting of supporting arms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Close Quarters Battle Receiver</span> Carbine

The Close Quarter Battle Receiver (CQBR) is a replacement upper receiver for the M4A1 Carbine, developed by the US Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mk 14 Enhanced Battle Rifle</span> American selective fire military designated marksman rifle

The Mk 14 Enhanced Battle Rifle (EBR) is an American military selective fire battle rifle, and a designated marksman rifle chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge. It is a variant of the M14 battle rifle and was originally built for use with units of United States Special Operations Command, such as the United States Navy SEALs, Delta Force, and task specific Green Berets ODA teams/units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Designated marksman rifle</span> Scoped high-precision rifles used by infantry

A designated marksman rifle (DMR) is a modern scoped high-precision rifle used by infantry in the designated marksman (DM) role. It generally fills the engagement range gap between a service rifle and a dedicated sniper rifle, at around 300–600 metres (330–660 yd).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SR-25</span> Designated marksman rifle

The SR-25 is a designated marksman rifle and semi-automatic sniper rifle designed by Eugene Stoner and manufactured by Knight's Armament Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System</span> Sniper rifle

The M110 Semi Automatic Sniper System is an American semi-automatic sniper rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO round. It is manufactured by Knight's Armament Company, developed from the Knight's Armament Company SR-25, and adopted by the U.S. military following the 2005 US Army Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle competition.

The Special Operations Peculiar MODification (SOPMOD) kit is an accessory system for the M4A1 carbine, CQBR, FN SCAR Mk 16/17, HK416 and other weapons used by United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) special forces units, though it is not specific to SOCOM. The kit allows US Special Operations Forces personnel to configure their weapons to individual preferences and customize for different mission requirements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bushmaster M4-type Carbine</span> Carbine based on the AR-15 platform

The Bushmaster M4 or M4A3 is a semi-automatic or select-fire carbine manufactured by Bushmaster Firearms International, modeled on the AR-15. It is one of the Bushmaster XM15 line of rifles and carbines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heckler & Koch HK417</span> Battle and designated marksman rifle

The Heckler & Koch HK417 is a battle rifle designed and manufactured by Heckler & Koch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LWRC M6</span> Series of US military carbines based on the M4 carbine

The M6 is a series of carbines designed and manufactured by LWRC International. It is based on the M4 carbine, with which it shares 80% of its parts. The 'M' model name is not a US military designation. Like the HK416, it features a proprietary short-stroke self-regulating gas piston system and bolt carrier/carrier key design, which prevents trapped gases from contacting the bolt carrier or receiver of the weapon. The manufacturer claims that this reduces the heating and carbon fouling of the internals, simplifies field maintenance, and improves reliability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M110A1 rifle</span> Designated marksman rifle chambered for 7.62x51mm

M110A1 may refer to the M110A1 CSASS or the M110A1 SDMR. It is an American semi-automatic sniper rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO round. It is manufactured by Heckler & Koch (H&K) and developed from the company's HK417, and similar to the Bundeswehr G28 configuration. Despite a designation similar to the M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System, the M110A1 is an unrelated design as the former was a development of the Knight's Armament Company SR-25. The M110A1 CSASS was expected to supplant and eventually replace the M110 in U.S. military service but this does not appear to have occurred as of 2022. However, several thousand M110A1 SDMRs have been fielded with the US Army and Air Force to replace various weapon systems currently being used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KS-1 rifle</span> Assault rifle

The KS Carbine, is a series of Armalite AR-15 style rifles produced by Knight's Armament Company (KAC). It is designed as an improved version of their SR-16 family of rifles. The 13.7" KS-1 variant was adopted as the L403A1-AIW by the British Armed Forces in 2023 to replace the L85A2-A3 and L119A1-A2 rifles used by British Army and Royal Marines special operations-capable forces.

References

  1. SOPMOD M4 Carbine
  2. M4A1 SOPMOD, The | Army | Find Articles at BNET.com Archived 2007-12-23 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "HK MK23 Mod 0 | Guns Lot". Archived from the original on 2008-01-13. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  4. KAC UNS, Universal Night Vision, Knight Vision, AN/PVS-22, AN/PVS-26 Archived 2007-10-19 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Defense Review - KAC Introduces Truly Ambidextrous SOPMOD M4/M4A1 Carbine-Config 5.56 Weapons". Archived from the original on 2007-07-23. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  6. "Knight's Armament Company". Archived from the original on 2011-05-07. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  7. "New advanced rifle for Ranger Regiment". British Army. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  8. "Britain's Commandos to get new assault rifles". Royal Navy. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  9. "Knight's Stoner 1: British troops getting new assault rifle". Forces Network. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.