The SAR 21 ("Singapore Assault Rifle - 21st Century") is a bullpup assault rifle designed and manufactured in Singapore. First revealed and subsequently adopted by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 1999, it was designed & developed over a four year period and was intended to replace the locally license-built M16S1 by the Singaporean Ministry of Defence, Singapore Army and the Chartered Industries of Singapore. Many of its design features are directly intended to counter the weaknesses of the M16 as encountered operationally by some infantrymen.
The rifle is being sold for export use aside from domestic use. In the United States, it is being marketed by ST Kinetics via its American subsidiary, VT Systems.
SAR 21 Assault Rifle Design
Made of a rugged, high impact polymer, most of the manufacturing is done utilising CNC machines, with ultrasonic welding for the steel-reinforced receiver halves and the gun barrel being cold hammer forged. It uses a modified Kalashnikov/Stoner operating system, boasting higher reliability and lower recoil. The translucent magazine allows precise assessment of current ammo load.
The SAR 21 is also the first production assault rifle of its class to incorporate a built-in Laser Aiming Device (LAD) (powered by a single "AA" battery) as standard. It has a 5 position switch which can emit a visible beam at high or low power. It can also be set to "steady on" or "momentary on" which is triggered with the use of a pressure switch activated with the user's left thumb. The rifle incorporates various patented safety features, such as a Kevlar cheek plate and overpressure vent that protects the shooter in the event of a chamber explosion or catastrophic failure. It also has an integral 1.5x optical scope that is built into its carrying handle. The scope aids in target acquisition, particularly under low light conditions. The scope is factory-zeroed, and requires minimal further zeroing to suit different users. This minimizes non-training range time.
The rifle is being sold for export use aside from domestic use. In the United States, it is being marketed by ST Kinetics via its American subsidiary, VT Systems.
| SAR 21 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Assault rifle |
| Place of origin |  Singapore |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1999–present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Tuck Wah Chee and Felix Tsai of Chartered Industries of Singapore (CIS) |
| Designed | 1996 |
| Manufacturer | (1999–2000) CIS (2000–present) ST Kinetics |
| Produced | 1999–present |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 3.82 kg (8.42 lb) (SAR 21) 5.3 kg (12 lb) (SAR 21 40 GL/M203) 3.6 kg (7.9 lb) (SAR 21 P-Rail) 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) (SAR 21 MMS) 3 kg (6.6 lb) (SAR Light Weight Carbine) |
| Length | 805 mm (31.7 in) (SAR 21, SAR 21 40 GL/M203, SAR 21 P-Rail) 680 mm (26.8 in) (SAR 21 MMS) 640 mm (25.2 in) (SAR 21 Light Weight Carbine) |
| Barrel length | 508 mm (20.0 in) |
| | |
| Cartridge | 5.56x45mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated, rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | 450–650 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 970 m/s (3,182 ft/s) (M193) 945 m/s (3,100.4 ft/s) (SS109) |
| Effective range | 460 m (M193) 800 m (SS109) |
| Feed system | 30-round box magazine; plastic or STANAG magazines |
| Sights | 1.5x or 3x optical sight; back-up iron sights |
SAR 21 Assault Rifle Design
Made of a rugged, high impact polymer, most of the manufacturing is done utilising CNC machines, with ultrasonic welding for the steel-reinforced receiver halves and the gun barrel being cold hammer forged. It uses a modified Kalashnikov/Stoner operating system, boasting higher reliability and lower recoil. The translucent magazine allows precise assessment of current ammo load.
The SAR 21 is also the first production assault rifle of its class to incorporate a built-in Laser Aiming Device (LAD) (powered by a single "AA" battery) as standard. It has a 5 position switch which can emit a visible beam at high or low power. It can also be set to "steady on" or "momentary on" which is triggered with the use of a pressure switch activated with the user's left thumb. The rifle incorporates various patented safety features, such as a Kevlar cheek plate and overpressure vent that protects the shooter in the event of a chamber explosion or catastrophic failure. It also has an integral 1.5x optical scope that is built into its carrying handle. The scope aids in target acquisition, particularly under low light conditions. The scope is factory-zeroed, and requires minimal further zeroing to suit different users. This minimizes non-training range time.
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