Belgian gunmaker FN Browning Group said it will acquire UK sniper‑rifle specialist Accuracy International through its FN Herstal arm. The deal, announced Thursday, adds a high‑precision product line to a portfolio that already includes machine guns and NATO‑grade ammunition. Accuracy, based in Portsmouth, supplies more than 70 nations and is known for its Arctic Warfare rifle for decades.

The acquisition positions FN Browning for Britain’s Project Grayburn, the first service‑assault‑rifle replacement programme in over forty years. Competitors such as Beretta are also courting the contract, which mandates domestic manufacture to secure sovereign supply chains. CEO Julien Compère stressed the purchase signals a long‑term commitment to UK production and strengthens the group’s European defence footprint in Europe.

Accuracy will retain its brand and continue supplying sniper systems, while FN Browning adds the capability to its existing catalogue. The two firms did not disclose a purchase price, but the move follows FN’s recent purchase of French ammo maker Sofisport and a £20mn UK MoD contract for heavy‑machine‑gun support. The combined entity now offers a full spectrum of small‑arms solutions to the British Ministry of Defence.