The French Army Wants to Replace Its FR-F2 Sniper Rifle

fr-f2, fr-f2 rifle, fr-f2 rifle legionnaire — French legionnaire using an FR-F2 in Afghanistan.

fr-f2, fr-f2 rifle, fr-f2 rifle french army soldier — French Army Private First Class Yannick Chevalier, armed with a French sniping rifle, stands guard atop the Terme Hotel at the Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps Headquarters located in the Sarajevo suburb of Ilidza, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

fr-f2, fr-f2 rifle, fr-f2 rifle senegalese sniper — Senegalese sniper with FR-F2 during Flintlock 2013.

France’s Army has officially kicked off the search for a replacement for its FR-F2 bolt-action sniper rifle.

According to Jane’s 360, the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA), the government agency responsible for procuring weapons for the French military, issued a tender on Aug. 18 that called for 2,600 new rifles which have officially been designated the Fusil de Précision Semi-Automatique, or FPSA.

The tender also stipulates that interested parties deliver 2,800 night sights—which includes 1,800 image intensifiers and 1,000 thermal sights— as well as some 6.3 million rounds of 7.62×51mm NATO ammunition, to be split between precision and perforating ammunition. In addition, all necessary maintenance and training equipment, spares and technical information should be included.

Jane’s speculates that Heckler & Koch are in the running to get the contract. This makes sense, given that the HK416 F is now the standard rifle of the French Armed Forces, and the HK417 has been used by “certain frontline” French Army units in place of the FR-F2, Jane’s says.

Manufacturers have until Oct. 5, 2018 to submit a proposal on the FPSA.

The FR-F2 has been used by the French Army since 1986. That rifle was itself an upgraded version of the FR-F1 made by state-owned MAS, or Manufacture d’armes de Saint-Étienne. Via Sniper Central, see a quick rundown of the specs for each. Below, you can also check a video taking you through the history of each rifle.

France FR-F1 & FR-F2 Specs

	FR-F1	FR-F2
Caliber	7.5x54mm	308 Win (7.62x51mm NATO)
Barrel	23.60″ (600 mm)	25.57″ (650 mm)
OA Length	44.77″ (1138 mm)	47.21″ (1200 mm)
Weight	12.44 lbs (5.65 kg) Loaded	12.75 lbs. (5.80 kg) Loaded
Twist	FR-F1 : 1:11.8″ RH, 4 Grooves	1:11.6″ RH, 3 Grooves
Action	Bolt	Bolt
Sights	3.8x Power APX scope	6X Power scope
Trigger	4.4 – 4.8 lbs	4.4 – 4.8 lbs
Capacity	10	10