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The SR 88 (Singapore Rifle 88) is an assault rifle designed and manufactured in Singapore by Chartered Industries of Singapore (CIS, now ST Kinetics).

Development

Following the poor sales of the SAR 80, and with their involvement with the Sterling SAR-87, CIS came up with an improved design – the new SR 88. Many of the parts and mechanisms are similar to its predecessor. Later production models were further improved with higher quality materials including a new handguard and buttstock, this version was designated the SR 88A.

The SR 88A was built in two versions, the standard model and the latest carbine model which is a heavy-duty mil-spec version with a shorter barrel and a retractable butt-stock popularly called today as the "baby ultimax" because of its overall shorter length and function and frame similarities with the Ultimax 100. Its magazine catch will accept a regular M16 magazine and a C-mag which is also used in M16 rifles.

Design details

It uses long-piston-stroke, gas-operated action with a rotating bolt. The gas piston and gas cylinder are chromium-plated. The gas system features a three position gas regulator – two open positions, for normal and harsh conditions, and one closed for launching of rifle grenades.

The barrel is equipped with flash hider, which also serves as a rifle grenade launcher. The lower receiver is an aluminium forging, and the upper receiver is made from stamped steel.

Furniture (stock, pistol grip, handguards) is made from plastic materials. The standard stock is of fixed type, but the SR 88 is also available with a side-folding stock. The side-folding carrying handle is mounted at the forward end of the receiver.

Variants

SR 88

Standard rifle variant.

SR 88A

Improved variant of above.

SR 88A Carbine

Carbine variant for use by paratroopers.

Users

•  Papua New Guinea: Papua New Guinea Defence Force and Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary with the SR88A.
  •  Bougainville: Used by Bougainville Revolutionary Army. Captured from Papua New Guinea Defence Force.
•  Philippines: To the Philippine Marine Corps, all donated by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas with ten SR88s transferred to the PMC.
•  Singapore: Singapore Armed Forces.
•  Slovenia: Slovenian Armed Forces.
•  Solomon Islands: Royal Solomon Islands Police Force
•  Somalia

See also

• List of 5.56×45mm NATO firearms
• List of assault rifles
• AR-18
• ArmaLite AR-100

References

Notes

1. ^ Richard J, 2008.
2. ^ Capie, David (2004). Under the Gun: The Small Arms Challenge in the Pacific. Wellington: Victoria University Press. pp. 70–71. ISBN 978-0864734532.
3. Capie, David (2004). Under the Gun: The Small Arms Challenge in the Pacific. Wellington: Victoria University Press. p. 65. ISBN 978-0864734532.
4. "BSP donates firearms to PMC". Philippine Marine Corps. Philippine Marine Corps. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
5. "Modern Firearms - Assault Rifles - SR-88". Archived from the original on 2010-09-14. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
6. Small Arms Survey (2012). "Surveying the Battlefield: Illicit Arms In Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia". Small Arms Survey 2012: Moving Targets. Cambridge University Press. p. 338. ISBN 978-0-521-19714-4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2018-08-30.

Bibliography

• Richard Jones; Andrew White (2008). Jane's Guns Recognition Guide. HarperCollins. pp. 314–315. ISBN 978-0-00-726645-6.

• 5.56×45mm NATO assault rifles
• Assault rifles of Singapore
• Long stroke piston firearms
• Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1984