If you haven’t already heard, Singapore’s homegrown defense and engineering group had a lot to show at the biennial Singapore Airshow this year. In addition to marine and aviation equipment and vehicles, the group also showcased a new assault rifle.
Simply referred to as the Next Generation Singapore Assault Rifle for now, this new assault rifle is a sophisticated evolution of the iconic SAR21, designed to meet the modern demands of combat.
This next-gen bullpup rifle marries the compact efficiency and improved weapon control inherent to its design with user-centric enhancements for today’s soldiers.
Retaining the compact form factor of the SAR21, this new model boasts ergonomic upgrades such as ambidextrous ejection, adjustable buttstock, and cheek rest, making it a versatile choice for diverse combat scenarios.
The design focuses on maneuverability and ease of control, with a closer center of gravity to the body, embodying the perfect blend of tradition and innovation in modern warfare technology.
As a person who is cross dominant (right-handed and left-eye dominant), an ambidextrous ejection design, along with adjustable stock and cheek rest are god sent. Not that I will be using it anyways.
While the built-in laser aiming device helps alleviate the problem of cross-dominant users on the SAR21, it is never the perfect solution. The SAR21 can totally fire from the left shoulder and has an ambidextrous charging handle, by the way, but the ejection port on the right makes it a non-ambidextrous weapon. It is unclear if the next-gen SAR will have the Laser Aiming Device or not.
The Next Generation Singapore Assault Rifle further boasts several innovations over its predecessor, including a full-length Picatinny rail up top, two short Picatinny rails on either side for accessories, and another even shorter one on the underside for a bipod or a grenade launcher. I believe the previous generation SAR has no such capability.
Those are not the only upgrades. The next-gen SAR is modular too. It is designed with two barrels, a 15-inch, and a 20-inch barrel – both with 1-in-7-inch rifling twisting for the 5.56 rounds. Speaking of the barrel, the flash hider is compatible with off-the-shelf suppressors.
The biggest modularity feature is perhaps the ability to implement a Fire Control System for measuring the target distance using a laser rangefinder and tracking moving targets to increase the first-round hit probability.
This brings us to another cool feature: the ability to switch up to use 7.62 x 51 mm caliber.
Aesthetically, the new SAR has sharp, futuristic lines as opposed to the sleek, following lines of the SAR21. If you are intrigued, you may learn more on EDR On-Line.
Images: ST Engineering/EDR On-Line.
via EDR On-Line.
