Indonesian assault rifles for new Special Forces
October 3, 2014 in Bangladesh Defence Procurement
The Bangladesh Army’s newly formed Special Forces unit, known only by as Black Eagles Special Warfare Battalion has imported assault rifles from Indonesia’s PT Pindad, a state owned arms manufacturer.
The Pindad SS2 (Senapan Serbu 2 or Assault Rifle 2) of 5.56x45mm NATO calibre are an updated version of the highly successful Pindad SS1 manufactured in Indonesia under license from Fabrique Nationale of Belgium.
The gas-operated, long stroke piston, rotating bolt action SS2-V5 rifle weighs only 3.35 kg without magazines and 3.71 kg when loaded. Barrel lengths depend on the version with the longest being SS2-V1 with 460 mm barrel and the most compact version (SS2-V5) having a 252 mm barrel. The rate of fire is said to be around 720~760 rounds per minute and maximum effective range 200 metres. It is possible to fit the SS2-V5 with various STANAG magazines and the Picatinny rail enables installation of various accessories such as optical sights.
The cost of the SS2 starts at only $500, which is half the price of US-Made M-16 assault rifles making the Indonesian rifle an attractive proposition for countries with budgetary constraints.
Unofficial internet sources have shown two photos of the Pindad SS2-V5 assault rifle in service with the Army’s elite Black Eagle’s, who are tasked with performing unconventional warfare, special reconnaissance, direct action and counter-terrorism. They are also capable of long range sniping including anti-armour/anti-material sniping, Hard Target Interdiction (HTI) and anti-personnel sniping.
The procurement by the Bangladesh Army might possibly mean that it is the first major Army in the world to induct the SS2 assault rifle besides the Indonesian Army and other wings of the Indonesian military, who are said to operate over 25,000 of these rifles.
Brunei, Iraq and Myanmar have all expressed interest in purchasing the PT Pindad made assault rifles although the weapon was criticised for having a tubular hand grip, which is said to be undergoing design changes to accommodate Picatinny rails that will enable the SS2 to be equipped with more accessories.
PT Pindad first offered their products to the Bangladesh Army in 2009 when a Bangladesh Army delegation visited their factory. Products ranging from assault rifles to the the APS-3 Anoa 6×6 armoured personnel carrier were displayed to the visiting Bangladesh Army officers.
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