SAR-80 Country Singapore Type Assault rifle Manufacturer CIS Introduction 1984 Specifications Weight 3.7 (empty and without accessories) Length 970 mm (738 mm with butt folded) Barrel length 459 mm Caliber 5.56x45mm NATO Action Gas-actuated Rotating bolt Rate of fire 600 round/min Feed system Various STANAG magazines

The Singapore Assault Rifle 80 (SAR-80) is an indigenously built conventional assault rifle from Singapore. More than 20,000 copies have been manufactured.

Since the 1970s, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has been using license-built M16S1 and AR-15 assault rifles as their main battle rifle.

In 1976, Chartered Industries of Singapore (CIS, now Singapore Technologies Kinetics), began to develop its own assault rifle with the aim to supply these rifles for the SAF and for foreign countries. To save time CIS invited some engineers from a British company, Sterling Armament, who used to manufacture US-designed Armalite AR-18 assault rifles. As a result the then new Singapore rifle closely resembled the original AR-18 design.

First prototypes came out in 1978 and the final design was approved by the SAF in 1984 under the name of SAR-80. This rifle was used to some extent by Singapore Army and was also exported to some countries, including Sri Lanka, Somalia and Croatia.

The SAR-80 is a gas operated, selective fire weapon of simple construction. It uses short stroke gas piston that pushes the massive bolt carrier with rotating bolt. The bolt carrier rides on two guide rods. Each rod has a recoil spring around it, gas piston rod has its own return spring. The receiver is made from steel stampings. Pistol grip, handguards and buttstock are made from plastic. Ammo is fed using M16-style magazines. Gas drive has gas regulator that can be cut off completely to safely launch rifle grenades from the muzzle.