So, once again, ST is in the works to develop a replacement standard rifle for the SAF. Apparently, after 20 years of operation, the SAF has figured out the SAR-21 is a piece of shit and now ST is tasked with developing a new rifle for them. This rifle is also a bullpup design but with all the flaws of the SAR-21 fixed. In other words, it will have a picatinny rail on which you can mount scopes, lasers, etc. As well, you can attached a standard grenade launcher to it. The name for this new piece of shit is called the BR 18.
Since the early 70s, the SAF, an army with zero combat experience has gone through 6 different standard rifles. They started with the AR-15, then a Sterling developed SAR-80, followed by the SR88, then the M-16S1 under license, the SAR-21, and now the BR-18. By contrast, combat experienced and professional armies in the world have used just……………… wait for it…………….. ONE standard rifle during this same period.
The US Army have always used the M-16 and now, its shorter version the M4. The Russians and Chinese have and are still using the AK-47. The British Army have used the L85 Bullpup since 1985 as their standard issue, and the French Army have used the FAMAS since 1978. You get the picture.
Why is such a piss ant small country going through so many different standard issue rifles, like a Chinese prostitute goes through Johns? This is the most wasteful use of money, and a total waste of engineering resources. By centering the same standard issue rifle for 4 decades or more, these countries mentioned above have saved a lot of money. Every time Singapore decides to switch standard rifle and develop a new one, there is huge R & D, and capital investment in a new production line to built them. The countries mentioned above have manufactured millions of M-16, AK-47, and over 500,000 each of L85 and FAMAS. Therefore, the R & D they spend is depreciated over many units, and the production plant they build is essentially the same one.
ST and Singapore cannot make rifles in this quantity, therefore, their R & D cost per unit is high and the constant retooling to make new models forces the per unit price to be consistently high. So, why continue to do this? If the M-16 and its variants are good enough for the US Army, why was it not good enough for Singapore?
The answer is that putting the best possible rifle in the hands of the Singapore soldier is OF SECONDARY IMPORTANCE. The most important factor for MINDEAF and the PAP govt. is to continue to make profits for the GLC known as ST, and to keep SAF Scholar Generals present and ex, employed in the SAF, MINDEAF, and ST developing such shit. The SAF does not need the BR18, nor did it need the SAR-21. It would have been more then happy to stick with the AR-15 or even M-16 right till today if given a choice. If the BR-18 program was removed from ST, and the SAF were to stick with the SAR-21, many people in MINDEAF, ST, and the SAF will lose their jobs. You better believe that ST is charging the SAF through the nose for the BR18. ST cannot lose money on this. They will tag on the R & D, plus start up production and manufacturing to the price of a new BR18, add a hefty profit for themselves, and force the SAF to buy it. Most armies in the world will carry out a competition if they want to replace their standard rifle, and major arms makers will enter the competition with their products. The best weapon system and the best price will win the competition and be the standard rifle. But in the case of Singapore, the next standard rifle replacement contest is a one horse race, and no other competitors are invited to bid on it. Like the SAR-21, you don't know what the shortcomings of the BR18 are because it was not matched up against other competitor's products. Funny why the Accountant General and the Oppo parties never bring up this little point. MINDEAF is deliberately given the biggest budget annually of all the Ministries, so they can spend it on useless shit like this and keep PAP cronies feeding at the public trough.
The sooner the taxpayer realizes this, the better it will be for the country. Feel free to share this article.
Since the early 70s, the SAF, an army with zero combat experience has gone through 6 different standard rifles. They started with the AR-15, then a Sterling developed SAR-80, followed by the SR88, then the M-16S1 under license, the SAR-21, and now the BR-18. By contrast, combat experienced and professional armies in the world have used just……………… wait for it…………….. ONE standard rifle during this same period.
The US Army have always used the M-16 and now, its shorter version the M4. The Russians and Chinese have and are still using the AK-47. The British Army have used the L85 Bullpup since 1985 as their standard issue, and the French Army have used the FAMAS since 1978. You get the picture.
Why is such a piss ant small country going through so many different standard issue rifles, like a Chinese prostitute goes through Johns? This is the most wasteful use of money, and a total waste of engineering resources. By centering the same standard issue rifle for 4 decades or more, these countries mentioned above have saved a lot of money. Every time Singapore decides to switch standard rifle and develop a new one, there is huge R & D, and capital investment in a new production line to built them. The countries mentioned above have manufactured millions of M-16, AK-47, and over 500,000 each of L85 and FAMAS. Therefore, the R & D they spend is depreciated over many units, and the production plant they build is essentially the same one.
ST and Singapore cannot make rifles in this quantity, therefore, their R & D cost per unit is high and the constant retooling to make new models forces the per unit price to be consistently high. So, why continue to do this? If the M-16 and its variants are good enough for the US Army, why was it not good enough for Singapore?
The answer is that putting the best possible rifle in the hands of the Singapore soldier is OF SECONDARY IMPORTANCE. The most important factor for MINDEAF and the PAP govt. is to continue to make profits for the GLC known as ST, and to keep SAF Scholar Generals present and ex, employed in the SAF, MINDEAF, and ST developing such shit. The SAF does not need the BR18, nor did it need the SAR-21. It would have been more then happy to stick with the AR-15 or even M-16 right till today if given a choice. If the BR-18 program was removed from ST, and the SAF were to stick with the SAR-21, many people in MINDEAF, ST, and the SAF will lose their jobs. You better believe that ST is charging the SAF through the nose for the BR18. ST cannot lose money on this. They will tag on the R & D, plus start up production and manufacturing to the price of a new BR18, add a hefty profit for themselves, and force the SAF to buy it. Most armies in the world will carry out a competition if they want to replace their standard rifle, and major arms makers will enter the competition with their products. The best weapon system and the best price will win the competition and be the standard rifle. But in the case of Singapore, the next standard rifle replacement contest is a one horse race, and no other competitors are invited to bid on it. Like the SAR-21, you don't know what the shortcomings of the BR18 are because it was not matched up against other competitor's products. Funny why the Accountant General and the Oppo parties never bring up this little point. MINDEAF is deliberately given the biggest budget annually of all the Ministries, so they can spend it on useless shit like this and keep PAP cronies feeding at the public trough.
The sooner the taxpayer realizes this, the better it will be for the country. Feel free to share this article.
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