Colt Canada Unveils the C8A4

Colt Canada have unveiled their C8A4 at the CANSEC 2024 trade fair in Ottawa. The new rifle is seeking to fulfill the Canadian Army’s ‘Canadian Modular Assault Rifle’ requirement which has been shaping up over the last couple of years. The ‘Canadian Modular Assault Rifle’ project is the latest element of the Canadian armed forces’ small arms modernization program which has seen the adoption of the SIG Sauer P320 as the C22 to replace the long-service Browning Hi-Power and the adoption of the C20 designated marksman rifle.

The Canadian Modular Assault Rifle concept was originally envisaged as a means to re-equip close combat troops but subsequently expanded to address the wider Canadian Army’s need for a new service rifle to replace the current C7A2 and C8 carbines in service. Major Carl Gendron, the Canadian Army’s program director for soldier systems weapons and ammunition, told Canadian Army Today earlier this year that “we’re not competitive with what’s been available for the last 20 years and they [the rifles in service] do start to degrade with time.”

The C8A4 unveiled at CANSEC 2024 has been in the works for some time and appears to combine features from Colt Canada’s Modular Rail Rifle (MRR) and Colt’s M5. Available information states that the rifle weighs 6.2lbs/2.8kg unloaded, has an 11.6in/295mm free floated cold hammer forged chrome-lined barrel, the M5 lower’s ambidextrous controls and an M-LOK handguard (which differs from that of the Colt M5). The whole weapon is FDE Cerakoted. In images of the C8A4 released by Colt Canada, the carbine has a a Magpul CTR stock and a MOE pistol grip and is equipped with a HUXWRX Flow 556 suppressor and a SAI 6 1-6x24mm from SAI Optics.

Colt Canada Unveils the C8A4 (Colt Canada)

The Canadian Modular Assault Rifle program calls for two variants: one specialised for close combat troops which will have a better barrel and more sophisticated optics as well as a full range of accessories while there will be a general service variant for other troops. The general service rifle is also planned to have a suppressor as standard as well as new optics and improved accuracy and ergonomics over the rifles currently in service. The Department of National Defence outlines the requirements as:

The project could deliver a two-tier fleet with Tier 1 Full Spectrum (CMAR-FS) rifles optimized for complex Urban and Open Terrain operations, and Tier 2 General Service (CMAR-GS) rifles designed for common personnel protection. The project could deliver modern modular rifles with suppressors, advanced optics, night vision, grenade launcher and new improved rounds.

The Department of National Defence states the program is in the ‘options analysis phase’ with the next stage of program implementation due for 2024-25 and an initial delivery of rifles set for 2026-27. In January 2024 it was reported that the first 500 ‘basic C8A4s’ had been assembled. Sources suggest that the first of the C8A4s are about to be issued to three infantry companies for trials over the summer. The Canadian Army source noted that no optics for the weapons had been selected yet “but trials will gather data and opinions about several potential optic types including fixed & variable magnification”.