Just some thoughts about this rifle. But before I say anything, I hope that this serves the UK well.

I think that the recce configuration whether intentionally chosen or not to be a recce, is the future for every rifleman. The selling points are PID, more precise aiming so lessening the chances of any collateral casualties and reducing even further blue on blue. They have a piggybacked dot for both urban terrain ops as well as NVG supporting for passive aiming when going up against near peers and you just don't want to emit to let them them know where you exactly are.

I question both the 13.7 barrel length and why they went with the URX6 because a 12.5 is a further reduced silhouette and outline that has almost identical velocities shooting both M855 and M855 when compared to a 14.5. And the URX is timed using shims that has no anti torque features and can be bumped out of alignment (BTDT with mine), with a gas block that cannot be pinned in place and has to be installed after the URX is torqued and timed to specs. I mention this because it's going to make field repairs from their 3rd level maintenance a depot level job really and I doubt that there will be floaters available as spares to assign and issued until the end item has been made serviceable again and returned to the property book owner. This is not something that you want to forward deploy troops to like combat outposts in the middle of nowhere and no immediate CS and CSS stationed with other than maybe an attachment of an ad hoc force.

Just my opinion here though.