Pindad SS1


The SS1 is the standard assault rifle of the Indonesian armed forces and Indonesian National Police. It is based on the FN FNC rifle but modified in order to meet ergonomic and tropical environment needs.
The assault rifle is gas-operated automatic carbines with a foldable butt and is designed to meet the NATO standard. The SS1 is a high performance light individual weapon that has been used by the Indonesian armed forces, including the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as police. It was adopted into Indonesian service in 1991.
It is currently being phased out and replaced by the Pindad SS2. The SS1 would possibly be used by reserve or paramilitary forces when the SS2 is fully adopted into service.
The SS1 is manufactured by PT Pindad, Bandung, Indonesia, under license from Fabrique Nationale, Belgium.

History

In 1976 from experiences gained in the field, an idea to create a new assault rifle to replace the existing standard issue Senapan Panjang or SP series battle rifle surfaced. In 1977 a prototype dubbed SS-77 was born. The SS-77 assault rifle design and operating system were based on the ArmaLite AR-18, with a gas-operated, rotating bolt mechanism. It has a magazine capacity of 30 rounds chambered in 5.56x45 mm caliber with Safe-Semi-Auto firing modes. The SS-77 assault rifle design includes both a standard long-barreled version and a carbine variant with a folding stock. In 1978, 150 prototypes with foldable stock were produced, 30 were sent to the Army Research and Development Service for testing purposes.
In 1979, the SS-77 was further developed using 7.62x51mm ammunition, resulting in the SS-79. The Indonesian Army and the Department of Defense and Security intended to adopt it as the standard infantry rifle, replacing the SP-1 as previously planned. However, due to considerations issued by the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology in 1982, the decision was not to produce it from scratch due to the lengthy timeframe and high research and development costs.
As a cost-saving and time-efficient approach, BPPT proposed licensing existing assault rifles that had already proven their durability and reliability in the field. During the initial evaluation, six types of assault rifles were considered: the German HK33, the American M16A1, the Belgian FNC, the Swiss SIG SG 540, the Austrian Steyr, and the Pietro Beretta AR70.
Chief of Staff of the Army's order in May 1978 to the Commanding General of the Education and Training Development Command was to form a trial team, consisting of related elements, namely:
  • Director of Research and Development of the Education and Training Development Command as chairman
  • Event activities carried out by: Col. Inf. Alex Suseno
  • Infantry Center from the Engineering Department: Major Inf. Pieter Hermanus
  • Pindad from Head of the Weapons Development and Research Section and Military equipment : Major CPL. Sutartro
  • Meanwhile, the troops were a Company of the Kostrad's 328th Airborne Battalion with Battalion Commander Major Inf. Bambang Sembodo
The trials included:
  • Ease of disassembling, and assembling weapons in the field
  • Ease of lining up, formations, and marching
  • Reliability combat tests in the field
The trial results are based on the assessment criteria and the assessment sequence is as follows:
  1. HK33
  2. M16A1
  3. FNC
  4. AR70
  5. SG 540
  6. Steyr
Then the possibility of further production in Pindad was evaluated.
From the test results, three strong candidates emerged: HK33, M16A1, and the FNC. While the HK33 was the top choice, its use of a delayed blowback system instead of a gas-operated mechanism, complex and expensive technology, and certain components made local production unfeasible, certain components also have to be supplied from Germany especially rollers. Consequently, the adoption of HK33 was canceled.
The M16A1, which was favored by the troops for its light weight was the second candidate, faced stringent requirements. These included importing ammunition, main mechanical system components, and barrels directly from the United States. In 1977, the Government of Indonesia aimed to transform the Indonesian Army Military Industries Small Arms Factory in Bandung into a co-production facility for M16A1 rifles. Both Colt Industries and Lockheed Aircraft Corporation submitted proposals. By 13 December 1977, the Defense Security Assistance Agency was processing Colt's request for an export license. At year’s end, the DSAA awaited contract details to draft a Memorandum of Understanding for approval by the Secretary of State and Congress. On 23 August 1978, Indonesia invited the US to negotiate regarding the use of the weapon. As a result, the US said that Indonesia could only produce 150,000 M16A1s, and not all components could be made in Indonesia, such as the trigger housing, munitions, upper and lower mechanical housings, and barrel. Consequently, the adoption of the M16A1 was canceled.
Ultimately, the FNC was chosen and officially became the modern infantry assault rifle used by the entire Indonesian National Armed Forces. The decision to select the FNC was influenced by the ease of technology transfer offered by the principal manufacturer, FN Herstal SA from Belgium, which agreed to provide up to 100% technology transfer. With FNC, all technology is given, starting from the smallest down to the production machines, so that true technology transfer can be achieved.
Another key consideration was that the FNC assault rifle had already adopted a 7-inch barrel and used SS-109 ammunition as per NATO standards. Subsequently, in February 1983, BPPT, representing the Indonesian government, reached an agreement with FN Herstal SA of Belgium. As part of the deal, PT Pindad was required to produce a minimum of 200,000 FNC rifles. After meeting this requirement, no further royalties needed to be paid to the principal. Initially, the TNI imported these assault rifles directly from Belgium. It wasn’t until 1984 that production began at the PT Pindad factory in Kiara Condong, Bandung, Indonesia, after completing all necessary preparations. The officially designated name for this assault rifle became SS-1. According to the agreement, FN Herstal agreed to finance the repair and retrofit program of existing 20,000 FNCs that had issues which were already purchased by Dephankam.
After 10,000 FN FNC rifles were bought for the Indonesian military, Pindad secured a license in 1984 from FN to manufacture the FNC. Indonesia adopted the SS1s into official service by 1991.
A 2009 seizure of Pindad SS1 rifles alongside P2 pistols in the Philippines has led to a special investigation on Pindad on whether weapon smuggling took place. The Indonesian government, in response, made preparations to form a special agency to handle all overseas trade. The Ministry of State Enterprises conducted an investigation against Pindad over the seizure of its firearms.

Design

The external looks of the SS1s are strongly similar to the FN FNC, ranging from the pistol grip to the stock, receiver and barrel. Optics can be mounted onto the SS1 rifles, but a special optic mount must be installed first.
The SS1s are designed by Pindad to allow for the use of their own SPG-1A underbarrel grenade launcher which patterned after the American M203, inserted underneath the barrel. Most SS1 rifle models, with the exception of the SBC-1, are made with selective fire modes that consist of single, three round burst and full auto firing modes.

Variants

  • SS1-V1
  • SS1-V2
  • SS1-V3
  • SS1-V4
  • SS1-V5
  • SS1-R5 Raider
  • SS1-M1/M2/M5
  • SB1-V1/V2
  • SBC-1
  • '''SS1-C'''

Users

  • : Exported in 1991.
  • : Komando Pasukan Katak tactical diver group and Komando Pasukan Khusus special forces group. Used by the Indonesian military and police.
  • : Purchased 35 SS1 V2 and 35 SS1 V4 assault rifles in 2014.
  • : Confiscated by Philippine customs officials when a ship bound to Mali, passing by the Philippines to deliver 10 P2 pistols, was raided after arriving in Philippine waters. The Malian government had ordered 100 SS-1V1 rifles. The rifles were meant to be used by Malian Ministry of Internal Security and Civil Protection. According to Fernandino Tuason of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service, he had received credible information that certain politicians were planning to use the weapons, mostly Galils, for destabilization efforts for the presidential elections scheduled to be held in 2010. Pindad officials have explained the misunderstanding since the SS1 rifles are not Galils. The Manila Bulletin has been the only media outlet to check that the Galils are not Galil rifles, but SS1s. In addition, they are presenting evidence that the small arms shipment is legal. It's suggested that a gun-running syndicate is the culprit for getting Indonesian-made weapons to the Philippines. According to further investigation, end user certificates issued by Indonesia were faked.
  • : Exported in 1992.
Non-state users: