During the 2010 Association of the US Army Annual Meeting and Exposition held last week, Barrett showcased their entry to the US SOCOM Precison Sniper Rifle Program, the MRAD or the Multi-Role Adaptive Design Rifle. This is a smaller rifle that is designed for easier use and lightweight enough to be carried by special operations units into the field. The US SOCOM is in the process of selecting a PSR with a criteria that only some of the best rifle makers in the world can meet.

The SOCOM requirements for the PSR are tough such as tool-less or folding or removable stock. It should be less than 18 pounds in weight, and not more than 40 inches in length. The operator should be able to change the barrel within 20 minutes and should have Picatinny rails and a maximum operational range of 1,500 meters. That's indeed an area where Barrett can bring its expertise being the maker of some of the most feared and long-range sniper rifles in the world.

Gauging from the photo above, the MRAD seems to be based on the Barrett 98B that weighs 13.5lbs empty and can the barrel can be changed to accommodate .300 Win Mag, 7.62 and the Lapua .338 magnum. Assuming it has most of the best features of the 98B, the MRAD tames recoil with its straight-line design. It was said that the MRAD has been tested to shoot at over 2000 meters. This means that the Barrett is very much a strong competitor for the SOCOM PSR program.

Not much yet is known about this rifle, and we're hoping to learn more about this. Barrett is not known for very much slick marketing presentations, but let their rifles speak for themselves.

Military procurements always take long, either by careful testing, or some political wranging typical in any government procurement process. Airsoft manufacturers can deploy this faster, so we're looking forward to a manufacturer from the Far East to start making one soon.

Photo source: SniperHide.com (More photos of the Barrett MRAD can be found there)