Pindad SS1

History

In 1984, the Indonesian defense group PT Pindad entered into an agreement with the Belgian company Fabrique Nationale (FN) to locally produce their FN FNC assault rifles. PT Pindad's origins date back to 1808 as a state-owned and operated defense contractor for the Indonesian military. The Belgian FNC itself first appeared in 1979, and has had limited sales to several foreign parties, including Indonesia, which acquired around 10,000 rifles for its army (the Belgian army itself has the FNC as its standard assault rifle). The FNC is a pneumatic rotary bolt-action weapon that fires 5.56x45mm NATO cartridges from a 30-round detachable magazine.

With the existing licensed production rights, FN FNC becomes the Pindad "SS1" series in Indonesian inventory (SS1 = "Senapan Serbu 1" for short "Assault Rifle 1"), with only minor changes to adapt it to the Indonesian combat environment Overall, the SS1 is largely faithful to the original Belgian design, and production of the SS1 began in 1991. The base design has since expanded to include a few noteworthy variants, all related to the original SS1-V1 production model with only minor changes in between.

Externally, the SS1 showcases a traditional assault rifle form consisting primarily of the expected components - stock, receiver (and associated components inside), front end and barrel. The stock is the skeleton, making it relatively light, and hinged at its base (the part where it connects to the rear receiver) to fold the receiver down and create a more compact weapon system.

The top of the receiver has a rear adjustable sight, as well as the charging handle and ejection port. Ribbed and ergonomically angled for a secure primary grip, the pistol grip sits behind the ring-protected curved trigger assembly. Standard STANAG style magazines (20 or 30 rounds) are conventionally loaded in front of the trigger and have three protruding slots. Like the FNC before it, the SS1 is designed to fire the widely accepted 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge.

The fore grip includes the top mounted gas cylinder (which is nicely hidden in the design) as well as the bottom of the barrel (also visible). It is covered with rubber and ribbing for a better grip on the support hand.

There is an iron sight in front of the handle, and the barrel protrudes from the front end, which is covered with a muzzle flash suppressor. In addition to the standard iron sights, optics can also be mounted along the top of the receiver, but this mating arrangement requires a bracket.

The SS1 series is actually a family of like-minded automatic weapons, with each variant designed for a specific role on the battlefield - of course, their main purpose in all forms is to destroy the enemy. The basic assault rifle is the aforementioned SS1-V1.

The SS1-V2 is a shortened carbine (similar in form and function to the US M4), while the SS1-V3 has a fixed stock for improved control. The Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR) product is the SS1-V4, which retains the automatic fire capabilities of the SS1 series, but provides a "sniper-like" capability with class repetition. Designated marksmen play a special role between assault rifle soldiers and dedicated field snipers.

To perform this role on the battlefield, the V4 scope is standard. Vehicle crews, special forces and paratroopers enjoy the ultra-compact nature of the SS1-V5, while Indonesian special forces also have access to a light, refined version called the SS1-R5 "Raider" - an assault-style carbine. melee.

A dedicated corrosion-resistant version is the SS1-M1 series, which is designed for amphibious elements and itself has three sub-variants, including the aforementioned standard assault rifle, carbine, and special forces. The Sabhara model uses a 7.62x45mm cartridge instead of the original 5.56x45mm NATO and is designed for police and internal security forces use.

The SBC-1 is based on the SS1-V5, but without full automatic fire, issued to customs officials.

In fact, SS1 is widely used in various military branches in Indonesia. Since then, there have been combat operations in a variety of local conflicts, including counterterrorism missions. The SS1 was recently updated with the "SS2", an automatic weapon, also designed by PT Pindad, designed to fire the 5.56x45mm NATO round with a similar pneumatic swivel bolt function.

This assault rifle entered service in 2006, replacing the SS1 series at the time of writing (2012).

In addition to being used by the Indonesian military, the SS1 has also been purchased by the governments of Cambodia, Mali, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Changes