New light machine gun for Singapore Army enters service

SINGAPORE – Infantry soldiers here have started using a more reliable, accurate and ergonomic light machine gun (LMG) that is better suited for close-quarters combat.

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) announced on May 20 that the army has progressively been equipping its soldiers with the Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR) 6940E-SG since April, replacing the Singapore-made Ultimax 100 Section Automatic Weapon (SAW), which has been in service since 1982.

Made by US-headquartered Colt’s Manufacturing, the 6940E-SG LMGs were evaluated and procured in partnership with the Defence Science and Technology Agency, the SAF said on Facebook.

The new LMG comes with “many features that provide enhanced lethality, improved ergonomics and customisation to better suit the needs of our soldiers”, it added.

For instance, fire controls can be accessed from both sides of the weapon, which means both left- and right-handed soldiers can operate the LMG with greater ease.

The new LMG’s foregrip and buttstock can both be adjusted for a more personalised fit, while a picatinny rail allows for the weapon to be customised with new modules to meet the army’s future needs.

LMGs are infantry support weapons for an individual soldier to provide suppressive firepower so that a squad of soldiers can move or advance.

In a 2016 issue of Army News magazine, the SAF noted that the SAW was being used by at least 12 countries, including Brunei, the Philippines and Peru.

In its Facebook post, the army quoted two soldiers who shared their experience using the new LMG.

Third Warrant Officer Muhammad Noh Muti, a platoon trainer at the SAF’s Motorised Infantry Training Institute, said Colt’s LMG has surpassed the SAW in terms of accuracy and reliability, while being more suited to tight spaces and urban operations.

With its buttstock retracted, the 6940E-SG rifle is 85cm long, or 17 per cent shorter than the SAW it replaces. The new rifle also has a red dot sight and 3x magnifier scope, as well as a multi-purpose laser aiming device and torchlight.

“With its ability to switch its magnification from 1x to 3x, it enables our soldiers to acquire targets at multiple ranges and varying terrain,” said 3WO Muhammad Noh.

A photo of the LMG released by the SAF also showed a large capacity drum magazine next to the standard 30-round magazine.

The Straits Times has identified the drum magazine as the PMAG D-60 lightweight magazine made by Magpul in the US, which can hold up to 60 bullets.

ST has asked the Ministry of Defence when the SAF plans to complete the transition from the SAW to the LMG, and whether the LMG will be built in Singapore.

The Republic has produced the Colt AR-15 and M-16 rifles under licence for its own use since the 1970s, and the LMG is based on the M-16 and M4 carbine family.

A report prepared for the foreign affairs committee of the US Congress dated Aug 17, 2023, said that Colt had sought the sale of 1,885 5.56mm-calibre M4 fully automatic rifles to Singapore in July that year, with the price listed as US$3.19 million (S$4.3 million). It is unclear if this was referring to the IAR 6940E-SG.

Colt’s LMG was in the running for the US Marines’ own IAR programme, which concluded in 2010. The rifle is also being used by Mexico’s Marine Corps.

Singapore’s selection of the LMG was first reported by defence industry publications in May 2023, when a video of the army’s work year showed the weapon, which was called the “New Section Automatic Weapon” without identifying it.

Mindef said at the time that it had conducted extensive trials and evaluations of various weapon models as part of its continued force modernisation, and that the IAR 6940E-SG had been assessed to be a suitable replacement for the SAW.