FN America made headlines in October 2025 when it announced that commercial SCAR rifles would be discontinued for the U.S. market. Fortunately for fans of the platform, the company used the word “legacy” in its press release when referring to the discontinued SCARs. That’s because the company is kicking off 2026 with a re-launch of the U.S. civilian SCAR platform in its “next generation” format.
The “next gen” of FN SCAR rifles is more than merely a cosmetic update. Internally, there are three major improvements. First, is the new lighter, hydraulically buffered, two-piece bolt carrier, which the company says results in less felt recoil and faster follow-up shots. Second, the new rifles have improved triggers (single-stage on the 16S and 17S and two-stage on the 20S). Finally, the short-stroke gas operating system has been updated and uses a two-position adjustable gas regulator that is now accessed through a port in the receiver.
Externally, there are a host of updates and improvements. Most notably visually is the receiver, which has been extended to cover the gas block and more of the barrel. This allows for more room on the upper monolithic Picatinny rail. The handguard (the “Integrated Rail System”) is now a separate unit and contains a generous number of M-Lok accessory slots. A pair of Magpul MBUS Pro sights are now mounted to the upper rail. Controls have been rendered fully bilateral, with a bolt release added to the right side. The bilateral magazine release buttons have been enlarged. Three sizes of safety selector levers are included with each rifle and can be mounted in 16 different configurations.
Additional details have been updated to bring the SCAR into the 2020s. The pistol grip now has true AR compatibility and there will be multiple buttstock options. QD sling swivel cups have been added to both sides of the rifle’s receiver and its buttstock. Finally, fasteners now use a Torx head. Barrels remain user-interchangeable and are made of cold hammer-forged steel and are chrome-lined. All new SCAR rifles use a Surefire ProComp muzzle brake. The 16S has its muzzle threaded 1/2x28 TPI and the 17S and 20S are threaded 5/8x24 TPI.
The SCAR returns in the three rifle formats that FN previously offered with each having three finish options — black, gray and flat dark-earth (FDE). The 16S is chambered in 5.56 NATO with a 16.25-inch barrel, weighs 8.7 pounds, and has an MSRP of $3,799.
The 17S is available chambered in either 7.62 NATO or 6.5 mm Creedmoor, has a 16.25-inch barrel, weighs 8.9 pounds, and has an MSRP of $3,999.
The 20S is available chambered in either 7.62 NATO (1:10-inch twist) or 6.5 mm Creedmoor (1:7.5-inch twist), has a 20-inch heavy profile barrel with 5R rifling, weighs 10.7 pounds and has an MSRP of $4,499. It uses FN’s SSR precision rifle buttstock with its adjustable length-of-pull and cheekrest height, an overmolded Ergo grip and is not supplied with iron sights. The SCAR 15P, a pistol version of FN’s Sub-Compact Carbine, was never removed from the company’s catalog and remains in the lineup among the next gen SCAR rifles. Each new SCAR rifle will ship in a customizable FN soft case with a vertical foregrip and piston removal tool.
FN’s new SCAR rifles are optimized for use with suppressors and announced along side them is FN’s new line of 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm QD suppressors. FN released its first suppressors for 9 mm and rimfire cartridges more than three years ago, but these are the company's “first-ever, purpose-built rifle suppressors.”
The FN QDs are a forward-venting design that uses a tube that is 3D-printed with Inconel superalloy and a stainless steel blast chamber, and are given a high-temperature C-Series Cerakote finish in either black or FDE. The suppressors are optimized for reliability, accuracy, sound reduction and minimum backpressure, were tested with 10,000 rounds of fully-automatic fire and meet all Department of Defense SURG requirements. The 5.56 mm model has a decibel rating of 149 db, while the 7.62 mm version (which is .300 Magnum rated) is rated at 145 db. When tested on the new SCAR rifles, FN claims less than a 1-MOA point-of-impact shift.
The QD556 suppressor has a diameter of 1.62 inches, a length of 7.69 inches, weighs 20.9 ounces and has an MSRP of $1,299. The QD762 suppressor has a diameter of 1.62 inches, a length of 8 inches, weighs 21 ounces and has an MSRP of $1,399. They are HUB (Silencer Central Hybrid Universal Base) compatible to allow for the mounting of other direct mount or QD mounting systems. Each suppressor includes a hub wrench, compatible muzzle brake and shim kit, and the QD762 will also include a barrel shoulder ring that allows compatibility with the legacy SCAR 17S.
FN SCAR-13: The FN QD762 has a rating of 145 db when used on the SCAR rifle.
FN’s next generation SCAR rifles and their QD suppressors are scheduled to be released in the second quarter of this year. For more information, visit the FN America website here.
