Our Ultimax SAW Mk.4 - USMC SAW replacement program
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An excerpt from the Defense Review article
Ultimax 100 MK4: Best Choice for USMC Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR)? Video Clip
Posted on Monday, March 27 @ 09:02:24 PST by davidc
Machine guns by David Crane
[email protected]
The 5.56x45mm Ultimax 100 LMG/SAW (Light Machine Gun/Squad Automatic Weapon) was originally designed and developed (along with its 100-shot drum magazine) from scratch in the late 1970's/early 1980's by Jim Sullivan (L. James Sullivan) and his design/development partner Bob Waterfield for then Chartered Industries of Singapore, a.k.a. CIS (now Singapore Technologies Kinetics Land Systems, a.k.a. ST Kinetics Land Systems).
It is considered by many small arms experts to be the best 5.56mm light machine gun/squad automatic weapon (LMG/SAW) in the history of the world. DefenseReview has been writing about the Ultimax 100 LMG/SAW virtually since our inception. And, in the last year or so, we've discussed the Ultimax quite a bit. In our article on Noveske Rifleworks Weapons packages, we discussed not only what's important about he Ultimax, but also how and why it's superior to the U.S. Army's current light machine gun/squad automatic weapon (LMG/SAW), the problematic/subpar FN M249 SAW. We also mentoned the Ultimax 100 SAW in two of our articles on the Auto-Assault-12 Shotgun (AA-12 Shotgun): our first-ever blurb on the AA-12, and our more extensive article on the AA-12 and FRAG-12 12-gauge armor-piercing grenade family, published subsequently.
The reason we bring all this up is because Vincent L. Deniro (CEO) and Brian Vuksanovich (Chief Engineer) at American Defense Management, Inc. (ADM) have developed a bunch of modifications to the Ultimax 100 MK3 for VT Kinetics/Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems, Inc.) to create the...
Ultimax 100 MK4 LMG/SAW (5.56mm). One of these modifications is a 4179 STANAG AR-15/M16 magazine adapter that allows the Ultimax MK4 to accept both 30-round AR-15/M16 mags and 100-shot Beta C-MAGs.
The Ultimax 100 MK4 fires from the open-bolt, fires at a cyclic rate/rate-of-fire (ROF) of 400-600 RPM (Rounds-Per-Minute), and can be adjusted between these two rates by the operator. The MK4 can be had with a 13-inch barrel, side-folding buttstock, and Mil-Std-1913 rail system on top of the receiver (for mounting optics, lasers, etc.) and on the forend at the 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions for mounting additional accessories (tactical white lights, lasers, vertical foregrips, etc.).
In fact, the Ultimax is so good that noted gunwriter Charlie Cutshaw, in his article on the Ultimax 100 MK4 for the latest issue of Special Weapons for Military & Police (SWMP), states that the Ultimax 100 MK3/MK4 makes for the best existing answer to the U.S. Marine Corps' (USMC) stated requirements for an "Non-developmental, 5.56mm, Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR)". Defense Review wholeheartedly agrees. The Marines could certainly do a lot worse.
Here's a Video of the Mk.4 in operation.
The whole article can be found Here -
Well, are we going to see this Mk4 version in our own infantry sections anytime soon?
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Hopefully.If the USMC contract is won, they can open the production lines. Frankly, our Mk2s and Mk3s are shite, been patched and patched till kingdom come.Originally posted by fudgester:Well, are we going to see this Mk4 version in our own infantry sections anytime soon?
The Mk3As, well, they are still in okay shape. -
heck, the average saw gunner in the SAF would never imagine it ....
I still like the saw though .... but they really should do something about the damm magazing catch ! .... -
The magazine catch was always a point of argument with all the techs in base.Originally posted by Fatum:heck, the average saw gunner in the SAF would never imagine it ....
I still like the saw though .... but they really should do something about the damm magazing catch ! .... Some wanted to weld, others wanted to get a new replacement.. 
But the article basically confirmed what we techs suspected needed improvement. -
i TOTALLY second that opinion.Originally posted by Fatum:heck, the average saw gunner in the SAF would never imagine it ....
I still like the saw though .... but they really should do something about the damm magazing catch ! ....
BTW...have seen pics of a SAW with a vastly shortened barrel. what about those? -
have only seen standard barrels in the SAF ....
but I'm more interested in the barrel twists .... are they for m855, or the m193 like the old M16s1 ... -
I thot beta C mags were still a problematic thing??? They fixed the bugs for those too?
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Great gun to replace GPMG adn lots of fixes from the current version!
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ultimax replace GPMG? come on....
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Dunno about you, but good as the Ultimax gets, I'd still be comforted by having some 7.62 backing me up.
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Ultimax is SAW (Section Assault Weapon) which is used by the infantry section. GPMG (General Purpose Machine Gun) is used as a platoon fire support. One can easily chiong with SAW but the same cannot be said with a GPMG.
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unless u are talking about armour where one section can easily have 3 MGs!
haha! but true when doing dismounted role, carring a GPMG is a Bitch.... -
still no belt fed option???
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http://www.exoticarms.com/Ultimax/Ultimax%20vs.%20M-249.html
From the distributor
CONCLUSION
5.56mm/.223 caliber SAWs that are belt fed, like the M249, are NOT needed and the Ultimax is MORE effective because:
a) the operator can reload “on the run” and while standing with ease
b) belt fed SAWs have more parts that are prone to breakage and malfunctioning when dirty
c) reloading is much faster with the Ultimax.
d) Ultimax is 5lbs lighter
e) Ultimax 100 round drum is more reliable (keeps ammo clean) than disintegrating belts and more reliable than the Beta C-mag (it will fire these as well.)
Machine-guns which are belt-fed in .30 caliber or larger are effective because they are used in a stationary role by providing sustained cover fire, many times at a greater distance than the 5.56 and at harder targets. -
Woa liao damn cool
,but SAW replace GPMG????????????, u must be mad !!!!!!!!!!!!! -
I am saying that the GPMG in some units that charge get replace with SAW, not all the units. I have some friends that say charging with GPMG is like fuck! Why keep on GPMG in a squad and intro the SAW to another guy, so one platoon got two!
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Got things like units tat charge n units tat dun charge 1 meh, anyway a GPMG should e covering a unit when it charges if e GPMG is also charging then liao lol
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The links not working ...but the SAW mods looks kinda of wicked. Just curious if they reworked the charging handle, many a times the charging handle just comes off the dame gun when you try to cock your weapon
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Hmmm..... Was thinking whether it is possible to get a bigger version of the Ultimax, one that fires 7.62 with little recoil, thus get a new GPMG. BTW, they seem to have not protect the metal parts of the rifle with some form of plastic.
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Like 7.62mm heavy barrel version?
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Wah, u really ai pi, ai chinh, ai dua liap ni!Originally posted by equlus84:Hmmm..... Was thinking whether it is possible to get a bigger version of the Ultimax, one that fires 7.62 with little recoil, thus get a new GPMG. BTW, they seem to have not protect the metal parts of the rifle with some form of plastic.
I thought we might have gone with a H-bar version of the SAR-21 with drum mags honestly speaking. hahaa. -
Haaha! If the army wants a 7.62 gun, look for HK417! It is a great gun!
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Why the HK 417? Why not the AR10, SR25, FN FAL, HK G3, M14, P-308 etc.?Originally posted by acwire_2125:Haaha! If the army wants a 7.62 gun, look for HK417! It is a great gun!
What makes the HK 417 better than the rest? -
Remember ? our 1st gun is e FN FAL7.62mm but 2 big a recoil for our troops, so must have bipod
