The Vektor SS-77 is a

general-purpose machine gun A general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) is an air-cooled, usually belt-fed machine gun that can be adapted flexibly to various tactical roles for light and medium machine guns. A GPMG typically features a quick-change barrel design calibered for v ...

designed and manufactured by

Denel Land Systems It was formerly Lyttelton Engineering Works (LIW - from af, Lyttelton Ingenieurswerke), a subsidiary part of the commercial network from Armscor. It then became the ''Systems'' division of the ''Land Systems Group'' of Denel. They are responsib ...

—formerly Lyttleton Engineering Works (LIW)—of South Africa.

History

In the late 1970s, South Africa was involved in an international controversy over

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

and the

South African Border War The South African Border War, also known as the Namibian War of Independence, and sometimes denoted in South Africa as the Angolan Bush War, was a largely asymmetric conflict that occurred in Namibia (then South West Africa), Zambia, and Ango ...

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordinat ...

. As a result, it was subject to an international arms embargo and had to, out of necessity, design and manufacture its own weapons.Security Arms Vektor SS-77 & Mini-SS.
Retrieved on 14 May 2008. The SS-77 was developed to replace the

FN MAG The FN MAG is a Belgian 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, designed in the early 1950s at Fabrique Nationale (FN) by Ernest Vervier. It has been used by more than 80 countries and it has been made under licence in several countries, in ...

. It was designed in 1977 by Richard Joseph Smith and Lazlo Soregi. The "SS" in its name stands for Smith and Soregi, and "77" for 1977, the year it was designed. Denel unveiled at the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2016 exhibit that the SS-77 will be replaced in production by the DMG-5 and DMG-5 CX GPMG. SS-77s typically feed ammunition using an R1M1 disintegrating link belt, though M13 disintegrating link belts and non-disintegrating DM1 belts are also compatible. The belt may also be further contained in a dust-proof nylon pouch with a 100-round capacity, or a waterproof and rigid box with a 200-round capacity.

Mini-SS

At around 1994, a

light machine gun A light machine gun (LMG) is a light-weight machine gun designed to be operated by a single infantryman, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. LMGs firing cartridges of the same caliber as the other riflemen of the ...

version, the ''Mini-SS'', chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO was introduced. LIW also manufactured kits to convert existing SS-77 to the Mini-SS. Changes include the weight decrease from with a folding bipod and fixed butt.Denel Land Systems Brochure.
Retrieved on 14 May 2008.

Variants

*SS-77 is the

7.62×51mm NATO The 7.62×51mm NATO (official NATO nomenclature 7.62 NATO) is a rimless, bottlenecked rifle cartridge. It is a standard for small arms among NATO countries. First developed in the 1950s, the cartridge had first been introduced in U.S. service fo ...

calibre *Mini-SS is chambered for 5.56×45mm NATO. *Mini-SS Compact * DMG-5

Users

MONUSCO Forces destroying a camp previously occupied by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) in Rutshuru territory

: Policía Nacional de Colombia, Infantería de Marina de Colombia. *

Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (french: Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda, FDLR) is an armed rebel group active in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. As an ethnic Hutu group opposed to the ethnic Tuts ...

Kenya Air Force The Kenya Air Force (KAF) or sw, Jeshi la Wanahewa is the national aerial warfare service branch of the Republic of Kenya. The main airbase operating fighters is Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, while Moi Air Base in Eastleigh, Nairobi is the ...

: For

IAR 330 The IAR 330 is a licence-built version of the Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma helicopter, manufactured by the Romanian aerospace manufacturer IAR Brașov. The IAR 330 was produced under a licensing agreement with the French aerospace firm Aérospati ...

helicopters. * *:

Royal Malaysian Navy The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN, ms, Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia; TLDM; Jawi: ) is the naval arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces. RMN is the main agency responsible for the country's maritime surveillance and defense operations. RMN's area of op ...

- PASKAL and

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (Abbr.; MMEA; ms, Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia – ''APMM''); formally known as Malaysia Coast Guard for international identification, is the coast guard organisation of Malaysia, and principa ...

*: Mini-SS for the

Peruvian Army The Peruvian Army ( es, Ejército del Perú, abbreviated EP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with safeguarding the independence, sovereignty and integrity of national territory on land through military force. Additional missi ...

Philippine National Police The Philippine National Police ( fil, Pambansang Pulisya ng Pilipinas, acronymed as PNP) is the armed national police force in the Philippines. Its national headquarters is located at Camp Crame in Bagong Lipunan ng Crame, Quezon City. Currentl ...

Special Action Force The Special Action Force (SAF) is the elite unit of the Philippine National Police founded by Fidel V. Ramos, later the twelfth president of the Philippines. History Formed on May 12, 1983, by the now-defunct Philippine Constabulary (PC) as t ...

*: 215 SS-77 MK1 LMGs acquired in late 2008 and delivered in 2009. *: SS-77 machine guns were delivered in 1992. Some were captured by the

Rwandan Patriotic Front The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF–Inkotanyi, french: Front patriotique rwandais, FPR) is the ruling political party in Rwanda. Led by President Paul Kagame, the party has governed the country since its armed wing defeated government forces, winn ...

. *: Mini-SS *: General-purpose machine gun of the

South African National Defence Force The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) comprises the armed forces of South Africa. The commander of the SANDF is appointed by the President of South Africa from one of the armed services. They are in turn accountable to the Minister ...

. Issued since 1986.

Popular culture

Video games

* '' Arma 3'', in DLC ''Western Sahara'' (« SA-77 »)

References

External links

Manufacturer's website
{{General Purpose Machine Guns 5.56×45mm NATO machine guns 7.62×51mm NATO machine guns General-purpose machine guns Squad automatic weapons Light machine guns Post–Cold War weapons of South Africa Infantry weapons of the Cold War Cold War firearms of South Africa Firearms of South Africa Military equipment introduced in the 1970s Denel