Modern military firearms are becoming somewhat homogenous. We primarily see variations of the AR, AK, or some form of AR-18-inspired weapon. Rarely do we encounter something genuinely new and domestically produced that stands out. When we do, it’s worth noting. Singapore, for instance, is replacing its domestically produced SAR 21 with the equally homegrown BR18.
ST Kinetics, a Singaporean company, has been manufacturing firearms for the Singaporean military for decades. The SAR 21 is reportedly a fine rifle, designed to be affordable and easy to produce, yet by all accounts, it proved to be a reliable and accurate enough military rifle. The BR18 aims to replace it with a more modernized bullpup design.
The BR18 and the SAR 21: A Comparison
The SAR 21 uses a long-stroke gas piston system with a two-lug Stoner-style bolt. The BR18 retains this long-stroke gas piston system. While long-stroke gas piston systems aren’t as popular with modern rifle designs these days, they offer several benefits, including enhanced reliability and simplicity.
For a small Asian nation, reliability and affordability are key considerations. The long-stroke gas piston system features an adjustable gas block, making it easy to use with various ammunition types or to function effectively with a suppressor.
Modernized Layout and Features
The BR18 system boasts a more modernized layout. It ditches the integrated optic used with the SAR 21, instead offering a long optics rail across the top. The handguard also features rails for accessories, making it quite contemporary in that regard.
The rifle has a variety of barrel length options, from 14.5 to 18 and even 20 inches. I would personally prefer the longer barrel, as that little extra length translates to a slight increase in velocity for the 5.56 round the gun fires. If you’re opting for a bullpup, you might as well maximize the barrel length for added velocity. The rifle’s overall length is only 30.9 inches with the 18-inch barrel, and it weighs a total of 8.81 pounds.
The selective fire system has a rate of fire between 650 and 850 rounds per minute. The receiver design incorporates two separate controls for the safety and fire selector. A distinct safety allows you to toggle between safe and various selective fire options. The rifle also features a suite of ambidextrous controls, and spent casings eject forward, making it acceptable for left-handed shooters.
Inside the New Rifle: Design and Functionality
The BR18 has a top cover that opens, providing direct access to the chamber. This allows the user to resolve complicated malfunctions with greater ease. When field stripped, the bolt carrier, piston, and bolt are all removed as one integrated part, which is a rather neat idea. Like the AR, the rifle field-strips by removing a single pin that separates the receivers.
The rifle appears to be fairly simple in its construction. A significant reason why the SAR 21 has endured for so long is its simplicity. It works, and ST Kinetics seems to be following a similar philosophy with the BR18. The rifle will utilize standard STANAG magazines, and they’ve designed their own polymer, quasi-translucent magazines.
The BR18: More Than a Rifle
The BR18 began as a rifle system designed to equip the average grunt but has evolved into a family of firearms. There is a marksman’s version with a 20-inch barrel and a total weight of 7.04 pounds.
There’s also an automatic rifle version of the firearm, which ST Kinetics refers to as the “Machine Gun Rifle.” It features an 18-inch barrel but weighs 8.8 pounds. The extra weight comes from a heavy-contour barrel, which provides an extended lifespan for sustained fire use.
It’s currently unclear if these BR18 variants will ever be widely adopted. The Singaporean Armed Forces use the Ultimax and reportedly recently adopted the Colt IAR6940 to replace the Ultimax light machine gun.
The BR18 rollout has been slow for the city-state of Singapore. I imagine they are still content with the SAR-21, and the BR18 might not be their highest priority. It appears to be a very slick rifle, and I genuinely want one. ST Kinetics, please introduce a 922R-compliant model! Americans would buy them!
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