SAR 21


The SAR 21 is a bullpup assault rifle designed and manufactured in Singapore, chambered for the 5.56x45mm cartridge. First revealed and subsequently adopted by the Singapore Armed Forces as its standard service weapon in 1999, it was designed and developed over a four-year period to replace the locally license-built M16S1 by the Ministry of Defence, Singapore Army and the former Chartered Industries of Singapore, presently ST Engineering Land Systems.
Many of its design features are directly intended to address the weaknesses of the M16S1 as encountered operationally by some infantrymen. The rifle is being sold for export use aside from domestic use. In the United States, it was marketed by ST Kinetics via its American subsidiary, VT Systems.

History

Since the mid-80s, the SAF had an outstanding requirement to replace the M16S1, in use since 1973, in part due to licensing limitations that prevented Singapore from exporting the M16S1 or making new assault rifles based on it. In 1994, a proposal by the SAF was submitted to MINDEF for options to either procure new weapons or to develop an indigenous rifle. On 19 November 2002, a patent was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Tuck Wah Chee and Felix Tsai with the patent number 6,481,144 B1.
MINDEF officials, after consultations with the SAF, decided against buying weapons off the shelf as it would require soldiers to adjust to the new weapon, choosing instead to develop a weapon, designed and made specifically for ease of use by conscript soldiers of the SAF, who are mostly of slighter physiques. Coupled with the rising costs of maintaining the M16S1s, this made it more justifiable to develop a low-maintenance weapon.
In 2009, criminal charges were filed against former Indian Ordnance Factory Board director Sudipta Ghosh for corruption, among the allegations were an improper partnership with STK over supplying Indian law enforcement with the SAR 21 Modular Mounting System. STK and several foreign firms involved were blacklisted by the Indian Defence Ministry.
On February 19, 2024, the Next Generation SAR was unveiled by ST Engineering at the Singapore Airshow 2024 event.

Design

The SAR 21's furniture is made of a rugged, high impact polymer, much 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 has a long stroke gas system and a two-lug Stoner-style bolt, boasting high reliability. The translucent magazine allows precise assessment of its current ammo load.
The SAR 21 has a built-in Laser Aiming Device which has a 5 position switch that emits a visible or infrared beam at high or low power. It can be set to a steady beam or a momentary beam that is triggered by a pressure switch activated with the user's left thumb. The rifle incorporates various patented safety features, such as a Kevlar cheek plate and a high pressure vent that protects the shooter in the event of a chamber explosion or catastrophic failure.
The integral 1.5x optical scope that is built into its carrying handle aids in target acquisition, particularly under low light conditions. The scope is factory-zeroed, and requires minimal further zeroing to suit different users, shortening non-training range time.

Design issues

Early users of the weapon in the Singapore Armed Forces experienced many problems due to their unfamiliarity with the bullpup design. Their criticisms include:
  • the awkward position of the fire selector, as opposed to the thumb selector on the M16S1
  • the sluggish trigger pull compared with the crisp trigger of the M16S1
  • the heavy weight of the weapon
  • the increased muzzle blast, due to the muzzle being nearer to the user's ears
  • being told by instructors that it is a "right-handed only" weapon and left-handed soldiers having to fire with their right hand
  • iron sights that chip off easily when weapon is dropped
  • lack of internal illumination of the scope
Some of these criticisms were addressed with design modifications to the later production models. New weapon handling procedures were also introduced.
  • The magazine changing issue was solved with training soldiers to always hold the pistol grip with their master hand. The charging of the weapon and reloading of magazines are to be done by the non-master hand.
  • The sluggish trigger pull was improved by using a stiff sliding plate in place of the flexible rod.
  • The Steyr AUG styled iron sights were replaced with stockier, hardier ones.
The Kevlar plating on the left side of the weapon butt is effective in protecting the user from any internal chamber explosion by directing the resulting force to the right. However, that resultant force would also seriously injure anyone on the right side of the weapon. In the case of a user firing from their left shoulder, this could cause severe injury to their face. As a result, all left-handed SAF soldiers are taught to fire from their right shoulder as a safety measure. The SAR 21 was designed with a small built-in brass deflector to eject spent bullet casings forward, thus reducing the chances of the spent casings hitting a left-handed user's face. The rifle is not completely ambidextrous but may be fired from the left shoulder.

Operation

Like the M16 rifle, the bolt locks open on an empty magazine. When the magazine is exhausted, it is removed by depressing the catch lever. Clearing the weapon is accomplished by removing the magazine, pulling the charging handle to the rear, and observing the chamber. After loading a magazine into the housing, the weapon is made "ready" by cocking the weapon, and engaging the cross-bolt safety button forward of the trigger guard. The position of the fire selector button on the stock may also be adjusted.
The on/off switch for the laser aiming device is located on the left handguard; when holding the weapon at ready, the left thumb rests naturally on it. With sluggish operation due to fouling, the gas regulator setting may be adjusted by turning it with a coin, screwdriver, or any other thin flat object. Alternatively, the gas regulator can be unlatched and turned by hand with aid of its knurled surface.

Variants

;SAR 21 Light Machine Gun
;SAR 21 Sharpshooter
;SAR 21 Grenade Launcher
;SAR 21 Picatinny rail
;SAR 21 Modular Mounting System
;SAR 21 Lightweight Carbine
;RCF module
;SAR 21A

Users