Sterling SAR-87
Encyclopedia
The Sterling SAR-87 was a military assault rifle
of the late Twentieth century. The Sterling Assault Rifle (SAR) was jointly engineered by Sterling Armaments Company
and Chartered Industries of Singapore
in the early 1980s as an advanced version of the AR-18 for the export sales. It was also introduced to the British Armed Forces, who refused it because they were already in the process of adopting the SA80
manufactured by Royal Ordnance Factories. The SAR-87 was a robust weapon based on the well tried AR-18
with the versatility of the M16 rifle
. It could also be converted from 5.56x45mm to 9x19mm Parabellum by changing the barrel and bolt assembly, to provide a submachine gun for Police forces. Once again, Sterling Armaments tried to push the rifle, renamed SAR-87, for some more years, but at the end of the 1980s, it was bought out by British Aerospace
/Royal Ordnance
and closed. Less than 100 SAR-87 rifles were manufactured.
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
of the late Twentieth century. The Sterling Assault Rifle (SAR) was jointly engineered by Sterling Armaments Company
Sterling Armaments Company
Sterling Armaments Company was an arms manufacturer based in Dagenham, famous for manufacturing the L2A3 , AR18 and SAR-87 assault rifles and parts of Jaguar cars. The company went bankrupt in 1988....
and Chartered Industries of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
in the early 1980s as an advanced version of the AR-18 for the export sales. It was also introduced to the British Armed Forces, who refused it because they were already in the process of adopting the SA80
SA80
The SA80 is a British family of 5.56mm small arms. It is a selective fire, gas-operated assault rifle. SA80 prototypes were trialled in 1976 and production was completed in 1994....
manufactured by Royal Ordnance Factories. The SAR-87 was a robust weapon based on the well tried AR-18
AR-18
The AR-18 is a gas operated, selective fire assault rifle chambered for 5.56x45mm ammunition. The AR-18 was designed at ArmaLite in California by Arthur Miller, George Sullivan, and Charles Dorchester in 1963 as an improved alternative to the AR-15 design, which had just been selected by the U.S....
with the versatility of the M16 rifle
M16 rifle
The M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO...
. It could also be converted from 5.56x45mm to 9x19mm Parabellum by changing the barrel and bolt assembly, to provide a submachine gun for Police forces. Once again, Sterling Armaments tried to push the rifle, renamed SAR-87, for some more years, but at the end of the 1980s, it was bought out by British Aerospace
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
/Royal Ordnance
Royal Ordnance
Royal Ordnance plc was formed on 2 January 1985 as a public corporation, owning the majority of what until then were the remaining United Kingdom government-owned Royal Ordnance Factories which manufactured explosives, ammunition, small arms including the Lee-Enfield rifle, guns and military...
and closed. Less than 100 SAR-87 rifles were manufactured.