SAR-87
Summary
| Country | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| Category | Assault rifle |
| Manufacturer | Sterling Armaments |
Technical specifications
| SAR-87 | |
|---|---|
| Fire Rate | 650 rounds/min. |
| Caliber | 5,56 × 45 mm OTAN |
| Magazine | 20 rounds |
| Length | 950 mm (37.4 in) |
| Weight | 3.7 kg (8.2 lb) |
| Range | 400 m (1312 ft) |
Description
The Sterling SAR-87 is a military assault rifle from the late 20th century. Also known as the Sterling Assault Rifle (SAR), it integrated design elements from Sterling's prior Light Automatic Rifle (LAR). It was jointly developed by Sterling Armaments Company and Chartered Industries of Singapore in the early 1980s to produce an advanced version of the AR-18 for export markets. The rifle was also offered to the British Armed Forces, but they opted against adopting it, as they were in the process of acquiring the SA80 bullpup rifle. Subsequently renamed the SAR-87, Sterling Armaments continued marketing the design for several more years. By the late 1980s, the company was acquired by British Aerospace/Royal Ordnance and ceased operations. Fewer than 100 SAR-87 rifles were manufactured.
The SAR-87 was designed as a robust firearm based on the AR-18 platform, incorporating what was intended as the versatility found in the M16 rifle. A notable design feature was its ability to be converted between calibers. By changing the barrel and bolt assembly, the rifle chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO could be adapted to fire 9×19mm Parabellum ammunition, serving as a submachine gun for police applications.