Ultimax 100
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| Ultimax 100 | |
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 The Ultimax 100 |
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| Type | 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 |
| Produced | 1981-present |
| Number built | ~80,000 |
| Variants | Ultimax 100 Mark 2, Ultimax 100 Mark 3, Ultimax 100 Mark 4, Ultimax 100 Standard, Ultimax 100 Para |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 4.75 kg (10.47 lb) (Mark 2) 4.90 kg (10.8 lb) (Mark 3) |
| Length | 1,030 mm (40.6 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) |
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| 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 range | 100 to 1,200 m sight adjustments |
| Maximum 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 5.56 mm light machine gun, developed at the Chartered Industries of Singapore - CIS (currently incorporated into the Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd or ST Engineering company) by a team of engineers under the tutelage of American firearms designer L. James Sullivan. 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, only the Mark 3 (a Mark 4 variant is being evaluated). The Ultimax 100 (also called the U 100) is used in significant numbers by the armed forces of Singapore, Croatia and the Philippines.
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[edit] Design details
The Ultimax 100, initially termed a "Section Machine Gun" is a gas-operated automatic weapon (capable of fully automatic fire only) with a short-stroke gas piston rod operating system powered by ignited powder gases bled from the barrel through a port at 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. The bolt contains both a spring extractor and a casing ejector. The weapon's non-reciprocating cocking handle is situated 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 LMGs) 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.[1]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 Mark 1 version of the Ultimax 100 had a lightweight quick-change barrel (but due to issues arising during the removal procedure, this option was dropped), the Mark 2 - a heavy non-changeable barrel and the Mark 3 - a heavy, quick-change barrel. Currently the Mark 3 variant is also available in two different barrel lengths, a standard and short, para model, whereas the short barrel is designed for use with paratroopers and special forces. The barrel on all versions has a slotted flash suppressor and a carrying handle used to transport the weapon and assist in swapping the barrel out.
The Ultimax Mark 3 has a three-position gas regulator valve (prior models had a 5-setting gas adjustment valve) that allows the rate of fire to be varied and enables reliable operation in various environmental conditions. 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 quick-detachable buttstock. Thanks to the mild felt recoil acting upon the shooter the weapon can 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 U 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" - weapon 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 weapon's design incorporates sheet metal stamping and synthetic components (e.g. the drum magazine, stock, pistol grip and forend with vertical grip are all made of polymers).
The LMG is adapted to fire both the American 5.56x45mm M193 cartridge (the weapon is then fitted with a barrel with 6 right-hand grooves and a 305 mm or 1:12 in twist rate) or the heavier Belgian SS109/M855 cartridge (in this case, the weapon is equipped with a 178 mm or 1:7 in twist rate barrel with 6 right-hand grooves).
Standard accessories supplied with the weapon include: two magazines; a 100-round drum and 30-round box magazine, a spare barrel, sling, blank-firing adapter and a cleaning kit.
STK also developed a vehicle-mounted variant of the weapon. A new Mark 4 variant is currently under development aimed at the United States Marine Corps, with the addition of a fire selector module and most likely a revised dual-drum C-Mag design, with a translucent Lexan backplate (for visual round observation).
[edit] Users
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Croatia
Cyprus
Fiji
Honduras
Indonesia
Morocco
Papua New Guinea
Peru
Philippines- Singapore
Solomon Islands
Sri Lanka
Uruguay
[edit] References
- ^ US4,475,438 (1984-10-09) L. James Sullivan Gas operated, automatic or semi-automatic guns
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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