Machine guns introduction
Austria
 Steyr-Solothurn MG 30
 Steyr AUG /Hbar
Belgium
 FN Minimi
 FN MAG
 FN BRG-15
China, People's Republic
 Type 67 GPMG
 Type 88 GPMG
 Type 95 LMG
 Type 77 HMG
 Type 85 HMG
 W-85 HMG
 Type 89 HMG new
 Type 02 / QJG 02 HMG
Czech Republic
 ZB 26
 ZB 53 / Vz.37
 type 52 & 52/57
 type 58 (UK vz.58)
Denmark
 Madsen LMG
 Madsen-Saetter
Finland
 Valmet KvKK 62
France
 MAC M1924/29
 AAT Mod.52
Germany
 MG 08, MG 08/15, MG 08/18
 MG 13
 MG 34
 MG 42 and MG 3
 HK 21 and 23
 HK MG 4
Great Britain
 Vickers Mk.I
 Lewis
 Bren
 L86A1 SA-80 LSW
Israel
 Negev
Japan
 Type 96 & Type 99
 Type 62
Russia / USSR
 Maxim M1910/30
 Degtyarov DP DPM RP-46
 Degtyarov DS-39
 Degtyarov RPD
 Kalashnikov RPK
 Kalashnikov RPK-74
 Gorjunov SG-43 SGM
 Kalashnikov PK / PKM
 Pecheneg
 DShK DShKM 12.7
 NSV 12,7 'Utes'
 Kord 12,7
 KPV 14,5
Singapore
 STK Ultimax 100
 CIS .50 MG
South Africa
 Vector SS-77 / Mini-SS
South Korea
 Daewoo K3
Spain
 CETME Ameli
Switzerland
 Steyr-Solothurn MG 30
 SIG MG 50
 W+F MG 51
 SIG MG 710
USA
 Lewis
 Browning M1917 M1919
 Browning M1918 BAR
 Johnson M1941 M1944
 M60
 M16 LSW / LMG
 M134 Minigun new
 XM214 Microgun new
 Stoner 63
 M249 SAW
 M240
 Mk.48 mod.0
 Browning M2HB .50 cal
 XM312 .50 cal
 LW50MG new

 Gatling, Minigun, Vulcan

all texts and some pictures
copyright © 1999-2008
by Max R. Popenker
and can not be used without author permission

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STK / CIS Ultimax 100 light machine gun (Singapore)

Ultimax 100 Mk.3 machine gun with 100-round drum; note different position of the carrying handle

Ultimax 100 Mk.3 machine gun in "assault" configuration, with short barrel, folded bipod and no butt. Magazine is not shown.

Caliber 5.56mm NATO
Weight 4,9 kg w/o magazine; 6,8 kg with loaded 100-round magazine and sling
Length 1024 mm with standard barrel and butt; 633 mm with assault barrel and no butt
Length of barrel 508 mm or 330 mm ('assault' barrel)
Feeding drum magazine 100 rounds or box magazine 30 rounds
Rate of fire 400-600 rounds per minute

In 1978, an American small arms designer James Sullivan, a man who previously worked for Armalite and participated in design of the AR-18 assault rifle, traveled to Singapore. There he joined the small arms design team at Chartered Industries of Singapore (CIS; now Singapore Technologies Kinetics) Inc, with task to design a squad automat weapon / light machine gun that could serve as a companion to the assault rifle then in development at the same company. After about four years of development and trials, Singaporean army adopted the new squad automatic weapon, known as Ultimax 100, in 1982. 
Ultimax light machine gun was produced in three subsequent versions (Marks), with fourth being evaluated in USA at the time of this writing (autumn 2007). The current production version is Ultimax 100 Mark 3, which is described below. Other versions are as follows: Ultimax 100 Mk.1 was a pre-production variant. Ultimax 100 Mk.2 was the first production gun, with fixed (non-detachable) barrel and a folding carrying handle located above the center of the mass of the gun. Production ceased by late eighties, with introduction of the Ultimax 100 Mk.3. Ultimax 100 Mk.4 is an updated version of Mk.3, developed for US Marine Corps “Infantry Automatic Rifle” competition. It features an updated barrel with M16A2-style flash hider, Picatinny rails on top of receiver, optional forend with additional Picatinny rails on 3-, 6- and 9-o’clock positions, and a quick-detachable magazine adaptor for unmodified M16 (STANAG) magazines. The new buttstock is of skeletonized design and folds to the side. The trigger / fire control / pistol group is a modular unit, which can produce a variety of firing modes including single shots, three-round bursts and full-automatic fire.

Ultimax 100 Mk.3 is gas operated, air cooled, magazine fed weapon. Ultimax 100 Mk.3 has quick detachable barrels, equipped with carrying handle to assist hot barrel removal. Each gun is supplied with two barrels, and additional barrels of standard (508 mm) or short (330 mm) length can be obtained from manufacturer (latest versions also available with optional 267 mm “VIP Protection” barrel).
Gun is gas operated, utilizing short-stroke piston gas system, located above the barrel and fitted with manual gas regulator that has five settings. Barrel is locked using rotary bolt with multiple radial lugs. The patented “constant recoil” action is in fact a simple effort to avoid the heavy bolt group slamming against the backstop in receiver. This is done by elongating the stamped-steel receiver (and available bolt travel path) and by carefully calculating the strength of return spring.
Feed is from detachable magazines only, using either proprietary 100-round drum magazines or slightly modified 30-round M16-type box magazines (modification involves an additional lock holes for Ultimax magazine catch). Drum magazines are made mostly from plastic, with translucent rear wall which permits easy check of available ammunition. Original intent was to make these drums disposable but currently these are reusable. Ejection of spent cartridges is to the right side, and ejection port is covered by spring-loaded dust cover.
Firing controls include a pistol grip and a conventional rifle-type trigger; ambidextrous safety / fire selector levers are located at either side of receiver, above the pistol grip. Gun fires from open bolt only, in semi-automatic or full automatic modes.
Standard furniture includes a lightweight folding bipod, attached to the gas block, short polymer forend with forward pistol grip, and a removable plastic butt (gun can be safely fired with butt removed). One somewhat unusual accessory for Ultimax 100 is a bayonet lug on the barrel, which permits attachment of a standard M16-compatible bayonet.

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