Machine guns among weapons lost by UK armed forces

Two instrumentality guns, 2 pistols and astir 2,000 rounds of ammunition person been mislaid by UK equipped forces implicit the past 2 years.

Meanwhile, 2 SA80 Cadet PP Rifles were stolen successful 2021.

The MoD said it had "robust procedures to deter and forestall losses and thefts".

The figures, released aft a Freedom of Information request, revealed 2 general-purpose instrumentality guns (GPMGs), 1 Glock 43X Pistol, 1 Glock 17 Pistol and 1 deactivated AK47 Rifle, were mislaid by the section successful 2021 and 2022.

Some 76 computers and 124 USBs were besides mislaid oregon stolen implicit the two-year period.

The MoD said the mislaid AK47 Rifle and stolen SA80 Cadet PP Rifles were deactivated and could not beryllium reconverted into lethal weapons.

It said astir ammunition was mislaid accidentally during exercises oregon operations.

The section added that each laptops, tablet computers and USBs were encrypted to minimise the interaction of immoderate losses.

Labour's shadiness defence caput John Healey said: "The archetypal work of immoderate authorities is to support radical safe, truthful ministers person superior questions to reply connected however these weapons and ammunition person gone missing from MoD bases, and who's got them now.

"At a clip erstwhile outer threats are rising, ministers indispensable benignant retired information wrong the MoD to guarantee UK instrumentality doesn't autumn into the incorrect hands."

An MoD spokeswoman said: "We instrumentality the information of defence assets precise earnestly and person robust procedures to deter and forestall losses and thefts. In immoderate cases of reported theft, the spot is aboriginal recovered.

"If immoderate items are reported mislaid oregon missing owed to suspected transgression activity, we volition instrumentality the indispensable steps to analyse and prosecute."