SAR 80

Last updated
Rifle, 5.56 MM, SAR 80
SAR 80 rifle.JPG
The SAR 80 assault rifle
Type Assault rifle
Place of origin Singapore
Service history
In service1984-present
Used bySee Users
Wars Sri Lankan Civil War
Yugoslav Wars
Somali Civil War [1]
Kivu conflict
Production history
DesignerFrank Waters
Designed1976-1984
Manufacturer Chartered Industries of Singapore (CIS, now ST Kinetics)
No. built20,000 (in Singapore), unknown number of exports
VariantsStandard, Grenade launcher
Specifications
Mass3.7 kg (8.2 lb) (empty and without accessories)
Length970 millimetres (38 in), 738 millimetres (29.1 in) with butt folded
Barrel  length459 millimetres (18 in)

Cartridge 5.56×45mm NATO
Action Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire 600 round/min
Feed systemVarious STANAG magazines
Sights Iron sights

The SAR 80 (Singapore Assault Rifle 80) is an assault rifle from Singapore.

Contents

History and development

In the late 1960s, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) adopted the AR-15 as their main service rifle.[ citation needed ] Due to difficulties in obtaining the rifles from the United States, the Singaporean government purchased a license to domestically manufacture the M16 rifle, which was then designated the M16S1. However, the domestic rifle requirements were not sufficient to allow Chartered Industries of Singapore (CIS, now Singapore Technologies Kinetics) to economically maintain operations at its rifle factory. Export sales of the M16S1 were not a viable option. Due to the requirements of the license agreement, CIS had to request permission from Colt and the US State Department to allow any export sale, which they rarely granted.

In the early 1970s, Sterling Armaments Company engineers had developed their own 5.56 mm rifle design, the Light Automatic Rifle (LAR), but this had been shelved when Sterling acquired a manufacturing licence for the US-designed Armalite AR-18 assault rifle. While Sterling could not legally sublicense the AR-18, their AR-18 derived Sterling Assault Rifle (SAR) was available. [2] [3] This was based on a refined version of the Light Automatic Rifle, fitted with an AR-18 trigger group. Sterling licensed the SAR design to CIS, who put it into production as the SAR 80.

The successor to this weapon is the SR-88.

Users

Slovenian Territorial Defence equipped with the SAR 80. Postroj 30. razvojne skupine v Kocevski reki.jpg
Slovenian Territorial Defence equipped with the SAR 80.

Non state users

See also

Related Research Articles

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