Ultimax 100
The Ultimax 100 is a Singapore-made 5.56mm light machine gun, developed by the Chartered Industries of Singapore (CIS, now ST Kinetics) by a team of engineers under the guidance of American firearms designer L. James Sullivan. The weapon is extremely accurate due to its constant-recoil operating system and is one of the lightest machine guns in the world.
| Ultimax 100 | |
|---|---|
Ultimax 100 Section Automatic Weapon (SAW) | |
| Type | Light machine gun, Squad automatic weapon |
| Place of origin | Singapore |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1982–present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | Bougainville Civil War Yugoslav Wars Anti-guerrilla operations in Indonesia & the Philippines 2006 Fijian coup d'état Solomon Islands coup War in Afghanistan Sri Lankan Civil War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | L. James Sullivan for Chartered Industries of Singapore (CIS, now ST Kinetics) |
| Designed | 1978 |
| Manufacturer | • CIS: 1982–2000 • ST Kinetics: 2000–present |
| Produced | 1982–present |
| No. built | ~80,000 |
| Variants | See variants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | • Mark 2: 4.75 kg (10.47 lb) • Mark 3: 4.90 kg (10.8 lb) • 6.8 kg (15 lb) when loaded 100 rounds |
| Length | • Mark 2: 1,030 mm (40.6 in) with buttstock, 800 mm (31.5 in) w/o buttstock • Mark 3: 1,024 mm (40.3 in) with buttstock, 810 mm (31.9 in) w/o buttstock |
| Barrel length | • Standard: 508 mm (20.0 in) • Ultimax 100 para: 330 mm (13.0 in) |
| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO |
| Caliber | 5.56 mm (0.22 in) |
| Barrels | Single barrel (progressive RH parabolic twist, 6 grooves) |
| Action | Gas-operated, rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | 400–600 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 970 m/s (3,182 ft/s) (M193 cartridge) 945 m/s (3,100.4 ft/s) (SS109/M855 cartridge) |
| Effective firing range | 100–1,200 m sight adjustments |
| Maximum firing range | 460 m (M193 cartridge) 1,300 m (SS109/M855 cartridge) |
| Feed system | 100-round drum magazine or 30-round STANAG M16 box magazine |
| Sights | Rear aperture sight and front post 472 mm (18.6 in) sight radius |
Work on a new light support weapon for the Singapore Army began in 1978. The weapon is produced by CIS (presently STK—Singapore Technologies Kinetics), initially in the Mark 1 version, later—the Mark 2, and currently, in the Mark 3 and Mark 4 variant. The Ultimax 100 (also called the U 100) is used in significant numbers by the armed forces of Singapore, Croatia and the Philippines. The Mark 3 variant is currently used in the Singapore Armed Forces primarily as a support arm, and is both classified and known by soldiers as the SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon).