Ultimax 100
| Ultimax 100 | |
|---|---|
 The Ultimax 100 | |
| Type | Assault rifle Light machine gun |
| Place of origin |  Singapore |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1982–present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | 1990s conflicts in the former Yugoslavia Anti-guerrilla operations in Indonesia and the Philippines, 2006 Fijian coup d'état Solomon Islands Afghanistan Sri Lankan Civil War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | L. James Sullivan |
| Designed | 1977 |
| Manufacturer | Chartered Industries of Singapore (CIS, now ST Kinetics) |
| Produced | 1982[1][2]–present |
| No. built | ~80,000 |
| Variants | See variants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 4.75 kg (10.47 lb) (Mark 2) 4.90 kg (10.8 lb) (Mark 3) |
| Length | 1,040 mm (40.9 in) with buttstock / 800 mm (31.5 in) buttstock detached (Mark 2) 1,024 mm (40.3 in) with buttstock / 810 mm (31.9 in) buttstock detached (Mark 3) |
| Barrel length | 508 mm (20.0 in) (standard) 330 mm (13.0 in) (Ultimax 100 Para) |
| Cartridge | 5.56x45mm NATO |
| 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 or 30-round STANAG M16 box magazine |
| Sights | Rear aperture sight and front post 472 mm (18.6 in) sight radius |
The Ultimax 100 is a Singaporean 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.[2] The gun is extremely accurate due to its low recoil.[3]
Work on a new light support weapon for the Singapore Army began in 1978.[2] 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.
Design details
The Ultimax 100, also known as the "Section Machine Gun" is a gas-operated automatic weapon (capable of fully automatic fire only) with a short-stroke gas piston operating system powered by ignited powder gases diverted from the barrel through a port in the gas block. The Ultimax 100 is a locked breech weapon with a rotating bolt that contains 7 locking lugs. It fires from an open bolt position. The bolt contains both a spring extractor and a casing ejector. The weapon's non-reciprocating cocking handle is located on the left side of the receiver and occupies the forward position during firing. The Ultimax 100 is striker-fired. The feature that grants the weapon its low recoil (compared to similar light machine guns) is the "constant recoil" principle. The overall design allows the bolt carrier group to travel all the way back without ever impacting the rear, instead stopping gradually along the axis of movement against the resistance of the return springs.[4]
The magazine catch consists of two tapered pins on a bar, controlled by the magazine release button. The machine gun feeds from a proprietary 100-round synthetic drum magazine (early models also used 60-round drum magazines), or from a modified 20 or 30-round STANAG 4179 magazine (from the M16 rifle).
The Ultimax 100 uses a manual safety mechanism that consists of a lever installed on the left side of the receiver (just behind the trigger) with two possible settings: "S" – indicating the weapon is safe and "F" – continuous fire. An internal safety achieved through the proper arrangement of parts and mechanisms secures against premature detonation. The light machine gun was also designed to mount an M16-type bayonet and either day or night-time optics. The Ultimax 100's ergonomics are similar to that of the Thompson submachine gun, specifically the forward grip.
Jane's International Defence Review correspondent — Andrew Tillman, in an exclusive invitation from ST Kinetics to participate in the Product Improvement Program (PIP, initiated in 1989) to test fire the gun[5], was quoted after writing the test review as saying:
This article began by praising the Ultimax for its ease of control, which allows accurate fire. A comment to the author by an experienced SEAL team leader aptly underlines the importance of having an accurate light machine gun: "Men react one of two ways when they are shot at. If you just shoot at them, they will take cover and return fire, but if you start hitting them, they withdraw."
— Source:[5]
Variants
- Mark 1: Model with a quick-change barrel (pre-production).
- Mark 2: Equipped with a fixed barrel.
- Mark 3: Quick-change barrel.[2] Currently the Mark 3 variant is available in two different barrel lengths, a standard and short. The short barrel is designed for use with paratroopers and special forces. There is also an optional 10.5-inch (270 mm) VIP protection barrel. The barrel on all versions has a slotted flash suppressor and a carrying handle used to transport the weapon and assist in barrel removal. The Ultimax Mark 3 has a three-position gas regulator (early models had a five-position gas adjustment valve) that allows the rate of fire to be controlled and enables reliable operation in various environmental conditions.[6][2] The gas regulator is usually pre-adjusted prior to operations. Where there is sluggish operation due to fouling, the gas setting may be increased by two clicks using the provided C-tool. The weapon features a standard pistol grip, a vertical forward grip integrated into the forend and a detachable buttstock. The mild felt recoil allows the weapon to be used effectively without the buttstock, using only the pistol and forward grips to support and aim the firearm. The adjustable bipod has a height adjustment mechanism and is secured to the weapon's forend, providing stability in a sustained-fire role. The bipod is quick-detachable and can be mounted or removed without the use of tools. The Ultimax 100 features an aperture type rear sight (with range settings for distances up to 1,200 m, graduated every 100 m) placed on a sliding scale and a forward vertical post housed in the front sight base and protected by two metal tabs. The weapon incorporates sheet metal stamping and the use of synthetic components in its design. The drum magazine, buttstock, pistol grip and forend with vertical grip are all made of an impact-resistant polymer.[7][8][6] The Mark 3 can fire both the American 5.56x45mm M193 cartridge (with 1:12 (305 mm) twist barrel fitted) or the heavier Belgian SS109/M855 cartridge (178 mm (1:7 in) twist rate barrel.[8]
- Mark 4: Developed for the United States Marine Corps Infantry Automatic Rifle program,[2] with the addition of a new fire selector module.[7] The Marine Corps did not select the Ultimax.
- Mark 5: Updated variant of the Mark 4 with a folding stock, Picatinny rails and M16 STANAG 4179 magazine well that will accept 30-round box magazines and the 100-round Beta C-Mag drum.[9]
STK also developed a vehicle-mounted variant of the weapon for use on the Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier[10] and on the Spider Light Strike Vehicle.[11]
Users
Brunei: Was adopted to replace Colt M16 HBAR LMGs.[12]
Croatia[6]
Indonesia: Komando Pasukan Katak (Kopaska) tactical diver group and Komando Pasukan Khusus (Kopassus) special forces group.[13]
Peru[14]
Philippines[3][14]
Singapore: Commissioned by the Singapore Army in 1982.[2][15][16]
Slovenia[14]
Thailand[3]
Zimbabwe[14]
See also
References
- Notes
- ^ Daniel Watters. "The 5.56 X 45mm: 1980-1985". Retrieved 2008-11-11.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Modern Firearms' STK/CIS Ultimax 100". Retrieved 2008-11-11. Cite error: The named reference "MF" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b c Andrew, pp. 1093.
- ^ L. James Sullivan (9 October 1984). "(United States Patent: 4,475,438) Gas operated, automatic or semi-automatic guns". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ a b Andrew, pp. 1095.
- ^ a b c "Ultimax 100 History". Retrieved 2008-11-11.
- ^ a b "Ultimax 100 MK3". Retrieved 2008-11-11.
- ^ a b "Ultimax 100 Brochure" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-11-11. Cite error: The named reference "Brochure" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Defense Review update on Mark 5 variant
- ^ Christopher F Foss (2000-06-20). "New All Terrain Vehicle Makes Tracks For Eurosatory". Jane's Daily (subscription required to access). Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ "Spider Light Strike Vehicle, Singapore". Army-Technology.Com. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
- ^ "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE SIGNS CONTRACT FOR THE ULTIMAX-100 LIGHT MACHINE GUN". Brunei Ministry of Defence. 2007-06-07. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
- ^ "Kopassus & Kopaska - Specijalne Postrojbe Republike Indonezije" (in Croatian). Hrvatski Vojnik Magazine. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
- ^ a b c d Jones, Richard D. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition (January 27, 2009). ISBN 978-0-7106-2869-5.
- ^ "Ultimax MKII Review". Retrieved 2008-11-11.
- ^ "Maximum Firepower: The Machine Guns of the SAF". Singaporean Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
- Bibliography
- Andrew, C Tillman (August 1989). "IDR test report: Ultimax light machine gun - the ultimate in controllability". Jane's International Defence Review. Jane's Information Group: 1093–1095. ISSN 0020-6512.
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