SAR 80
The SAR 80 (Singapore Assault Rifle 80) is an assault rifle from Singapore.
| Rifle, 5.56 MM, SAR 80 | |
|---|---|
 The SAR 80 assault rifle | |
| Type | Assault rifle |
| Place of origin | Singapore |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1984-present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | Sri Lankan Civil War Yugoslav Wars Somali Civil War[1] Kivu conflict |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Frank Waters |
| Designed | 1976-1984 |
| Manufacturer | Chartered Industries of Singapore (CIS, now ST Kinetics) |
| No. built | 20,000 (in Singapore), unknown number of exports |
| Variants | Standard, Grenade launcher |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 3.7 kg (8.2 lb) (empty and without accessories) |
| Length | 970 millimetres (38 in), 738 millimetres (29.1 in) with butt folded |
| Barrel length | 459 millimetres (18 in) |
| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated, rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | 600 round/min |
| Feed system | Various STANAG magazines |
| Sights | Iron sights |
History and development
In the late 1960s, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) adopted the AR-15 as their main service rifle. 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
Central African Republic: Seen in the hands of Central African Gendarmerie.[4]
Croatia: Croatian Army.[5][6]
DR Congo Some used by Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda in Democratic Republic of Congo[7]
Papua New Guinea: Papua New Guinea Defence Force.[8]
Slovenia: Slovenian Army.[9]
Somalia: Somalia received SAR 80s during the 1980s.[9] Most seen in the Middle East, heavily modified by various forces fighting in the region.[10]
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Zaire[7]
References
- Small Arms Survey (2012). "Surveying the Battlefield: Illicit Arms In Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia". Small Arms Survey 2012: Moving Targets. Cambridge University Press. p. 338. ISBN 978-0-521-19714-4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
- The Sterling Years: Small Arms and the Men, James Edmiston, ISBN 1848844379
- Military Small Arms of the 20th Century, 4th Edition, by Ian V. Hogg and John Weeks, ISBN 0-910676-28-3, Ca 1981
- Berman, Eric G.; Lombard, Louisa N. (December 2008). The Central African Republic and Small Arms: A Regional Tinderbox (PDF). Small Arms Survey. pp. 82, 94. ISBN 978-2-8288-0103-8. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 2, 2014.
- Mikulan, K; Thomas, Nigel (12 Apr 2006). The Yugoslav Wars (1): Slovenia & Croatia 1991–95. Elite 138. Osprey Publishing. p. 49. ISBN 9781841769639.
- Popenker, Max R. "SAR-80 (Singapore)". Modern Firearms. Archived from the original on 2006-06-19. Retrieved 2006-06-06.
- Small Arms Survey (2015). "Waning Cohesion: The Rise and Fall of the FDLR–FOCA" (PDF). Small Arms Survey 2015: weapons and the world (PDF). Cambridge University Press. p. 201. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 1, 2015.
- Alpers, Philip (2010). Karp, Aaron (ed.). The Politics of Destroying Surplus Small Arms: Inconspicuous Disarmament. Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge Books. pp. 168–169. ISBN 978-0-415-49461-8.
- C. J., CHIVERS (January 25, 2012). "Somali Pirate Gun Locker: An Oddball Assault Rifle, at Sea". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- "SR Podcast No.3- Turkish Glockalikes, Singaporean Rifles in Yemen, and the Sudanese Defense Industry". 3 August 2019.
- Smith, Chris (October 2003). In the Shadow of a Cease-fire: The Impacts of Small Arms Availability and Misuse in Sri Lanka (PDF). Small Arms Survey. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 12, 2011.