A MILITARY police investigation is underway after an assault rifle and radio equipment were lost during an army training exercise on Dartmoor.
The SA80 automatic weapon and secure portable radio system went missing in the early hours of Sunday morning during a 42 Engineer Regiment training weekend at Homing Beam near Princetown.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said the gun was not loaded and no ammunition was missing. The MoD Police's special investigation branch was heading the inquiry and the matter was being taken very seriously, he said.
He could not confirm reports that the weapon was taken after a soldier fell asleep. The equipment belonged to the Oxfordshire-based regiment.