STK Ultimax 100 MK 8
The last time we discussed the Singapore Technologies Kinetics (STK) Ultimax 100 machine gun was back in 2008 when General Dynamics unveiled the Ultimax 100 Mk5 as their entry into the Marine IAR competition, a competition eventually won by the H&K M27 IAR. At the Singapore Airshow last week, STK unveiled the Ultimax 100 MK 8.
Photo from Trishul
By all accounts the Ultimax 100 is a fantastic low recoil machine gun, but it was positioned in lonely space somewhere between automatic rifle and belt fed machine gun. It looks like STK is now aiming squarely at the automatic rifle market.
[ Many thanks to Ron for emailing us the link. ]
I have fired the Mk 2 & 3 on several occasions while serving in the Singapore military. Needless to say, I love this weapon for its simplicity, lightness, low recoil and accuracy – if a tad flimsily built. (It’s the only sheet-metal stamped weapon in Singapore use.)
I see this latest incarnation is nothing more than a IAR since, with the mag-well, you can only use STANAG mags. And the mag-well makes designing a drum a problem as evidenced by the Beta C.
Having said this, the drum concept had its drawbacks.
With the Mk 2 & 3, you only get assault rifle reloading ease ONLY if you use 30rd magazines. Though I have never used a drum, reloading with the 100-rd drum is probably clumsy because:
- you can’t throw the empty drum away (ordinarily)
- so you have to store (time consuming as it is bulky) and carry the nearly 1kg empty drum with you – a weight penalty belt-feeds don’t have
But using only 30rd magazines, the Ultimax Mk 8 is merely an IAR, not a SAW. Which makes it only slightly better than the rifles that the rest of the section is already carrying.
it will better if STK into a bomb chain for bombs
What?
I am Singaporean. I was in the army, where I was issued the Ultimax 100 occasionally. I have also handled the subsequent marks of the machine gun. Here’s my take.
There are good reasons why the Ultimax 100 never took off in a big way. The only good thing about it was the constant recoil system, which accounted for its light recoil and accuracy. Other aspects of it simply sucked.
Take the magazine. It started out using only the drum. Problem was, it was difficult to load the drum without a special mechanism issued only to the armourer. Hand loading the drum was a pain – literally.
This led them to issue specially modified M16 magazines. Problem was, the magazine was secured to the gun by two shallow holes right at the feeding lip. The magazine would drop out of the gun if the soldier handled the gun without care. The gun would also become a jam-o-matic if the magazine feed lips were the slightest bit damaged – which was almost inevitable given that the left feed lip was already compromised!
Until GD began collaborating with ST Kinetics, this issue was never solved. Finally, GD probably told ST Kinetics that no one will buy a weapon where the feed system was so poorly thought out, and forced ST Kinetics to accept that they have to go all the way to have a mag well suited for M16 magazines.
Problem is, by the time that happened, there were better designs out there that offered the same low recoil and greater accuracy because they were based on rifle designs. The Ultimax 100, accurate as it was compared to other 1980s designs, could not compete with genuine IAR designs such as those offered by HK or LWRC.
I hada chance to handle it at the Singapore Airshow and I must say that it’s a lot heavier that mk3s that I have handled before.
With or without the optic?
Nice Improvements and evolution!
I think the biggest one is the vented heat shield over the barrel and the STANG mag well carried over from the MK4!
IMHO The barrel being exposed to the shooters hand and the older magazines(MK 1,2,3) lock-up was the weak points of the system.
To those that have never handled/shot an Ultimax 100 its very light weight and very very controllable,smooth shooting and incredibly accurate. If You ever examine one in detail there is a tremendous amount of thought that went into this weapon System.
I’m not totally sold on the barrel extension/locking lugs being a fixed part of the trunion in the receiver.(this is what the bolt locks into as well as the QC barrel)
From an economical prospective I can see why, however if the extension is damaged the gun is scrap metal.This is also true of the interrupted locking locks that lock the barrel into the trunion. (see the BREN LMG)
It would be nice if STK or General Dynamics would support the older models, as parts are hard to come by! hint hint wink wink!
Cheers, Hiram
as long as nothing really changes with the stroke and bolt group I am all for whatever it takes for this weapon to reach the masses. I don’t know anyone on the planet that has shot all the options that has anything but praise for the ultimax. Step outside the box and maybe ask someone who has everything and has shot them all which is the best shooter. This is the shoulder fire machine gun. The Stroke extension is the absolute key. bom bom bom. Very slow shooter with the lowest recoil ever recorded by a an assault rifle much less a machine gun. It was made high cap first, which was maybe its demise, but now having a magazine well for standard mags maybe it will achieve higher circulation. I truly love this weapon and think the world needs to set this as the standard for Ultra light machine gun/Automatic rifle. Automatic fire while on target is achievable. Its a short stroke piston much like the other AR’s that are coming except it was designed to be so the carrier is supported properly. This gun is the truth.
Since the Mark V, the ultimax has had a closed bolt semi auto mode. I hope that this one retains it.
A pal in the sg army NS had some problems with carrying an old broken down Ultimax in open bolt mode, due to a worn out safety – it would slamfire whenever he jumped off obstacles on the blank fire training. In the end his officer made him take out the magazine and hold on to it, only loading it to fire.
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It’s a light machine gun/squad automatic weapon/automatic rifle. It’s not a chopped rifle like the M4. Different concept, different machine.
Had the chance to handle it at the Airshow. The STK guy told me that this is a prototype they put together for the airshow and they were still working on improvements, especially on losing weight. Also, you may want to note the stock is now extendable instead of folding. Looks like it will be a bit longer before we see the final version.
Having used an earlier version (the Tommy gun-like Mk.II) during my military service I can say that it is indeed a very good shooter, thanks to James Sullivan’s (he of M-16/AR-15 design team fame) constant recoil design.
It is a rather heavy weapon, being made out of sheet steel stampings, and earlier versions had somewhat suspect welds, but later versions are relatively solid and the magazine well and catch looks improved in this version.
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Want!
This gun gets hyped so much by most of the places that talk about it that I immediately become skeptical of how good it really is.
That’s a nice looking rifle and the ergonomics look like it would be a nice shooter (judging from picture as I don’t have one in hand), but the blocky-ness makes me nervous on that. It looks like it’d be a heavier weapon.
Approximately 10.5 lbs without the optic, compared to the USMC IAR at 8 lbs and the SAW PARA at 15 lbs.
Back in the early models, when they only used the 100 drum magazine, the Ultimax was more of contender for the SAW. The recoil is so light and gentle that the ST Kinetics sales team will demo the thing by doing a magdump, on full auto, with the butt braced against their chin.
I’m pretty sure everything passed Mk 5. is USGI-compatible and is meant to be used with something like Beta C-Mags.