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Weapons System

SIG SG 550

Small Arms And Sidearms

The SIG SG 550 is a Swiss assault rifle developed by SIG Sauer's predecessor Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft, entering production in 1986 and adopted by the Swiss Armed Forces in 1990 as the Stgw 90, replacing the earlier SIG SG 510. Gas-operated with a rotating bolt and chambered for 5.56x45mm NATO, the rifle was built to a demanding standard of reliability and mechanical accuracy, feeding from distinctive translucent polymer magazines that can be clipped together for faster reloading, and it was produced in a shortened SG 551 carbine variant and a compact SG 552 commando variant alongside the full-length service rifle. More than six hundred thousand SG 550-family rifles have been produced, and beyond Swiss service the design has been used by military and police special-forces units in a number of other countries.

Facts
Classification
Caliber
5.56x45mm NATO 1
Caliber
7.62x51mm NATO 1
Caliber
7.62x39mm 1
Service Status
In Service 1
Partially Attested
Introduced Year
1983 2
Source states the Swiss Army adopted the SG-541, renamed SG 550, in 1983, while the same source says production did not begin until 1986, and other accounts describe 1990 as when it was formally designated and issued as the Stgw 90.
Weapon Class
Weapon Class (category)
Rifle 2
Weapon Class
Assault rifle 2
Introduced Year
1990 3
FAQs

Why did the Swiss Army develop the SIG 550 series?

It replaced the full-power 7.5mm Stgw.57 with a smaller caliber rifle.

In the late 1970s the Swiss Army began looking for a new, smaller caliber rifle to replace the old full-power 7.5mm Stgw.57 (SIG 510) automatic rifle. SIG built prototypes based on its SG-540 design, and the state-owned Waffenfabrik Bern entered a rival design. Further testing proved the SIG SG-541 superior, and it became the Swiss service rifle Stgw.90, with the army also adopting a slightly improved 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge designated the 5.6mm GP90.
Connections

Operated By

Argentine Armed Forces, Armed Forces and Units
Source MilitaryFactory.com: SIG SG 550 (Sturmgewehr Model 550) / Stgw 90
Brazilian Army, Armed Forces and Units
Source MilitaryFactory.com: SIG SG 550 (Sturmgewehr Model 550) / Stgw 90
Bundeswehr, Armed Forces and Units
Source MilitaryFactory.com: SIG SG 550 (Sturmgewehr Model 550) / Stgw 90
Egyptian Armed Forces, Armed Forces and Units
Source MilitaryFactory.com: SIG SG 550 (Sturmgewehr Model 550) / Stgw 90
French Armed Forces, Armed Forces and Units
Source MilitaryFactory.com: SIG SG 550 (Sturmgewehr Model 550) / Stgw 90

Used In

War in Afghanistan (2001-2021), Wars
Source Wikipedia: SIG SG 550
In the Other Atlases

Manufactured By

Swiss Arms

Also in Business Atlas: the manufacturer of this subject.

Source Wikidata: SIG SG 550
Sources
1. Wikipedia: SIG SG 550
Wikipedia
  • Lead section
    Production began in 1986 and four years later the rifle was officially accepted into service in 1990, hence the military designation Stgw 90.
  • Infobox: cartridge
    5.56×45mm NATO 7.62×39mm (SG 553R, SG 556R & SIG563R) .300 AAC Blackout (SG 553 BK and SIG563 BK) 6.5mm Creedmoor (SG 750) 7.62×51mm NATO (SG 750 and SG 751)
  • Caliber attribute (sig-sg-550)
    Gas-operated with a rotating bolt and chambered for 5.56x45mm NATO, the rifle was built to a demanding standard of reliability and mechanical accuracy, feeding from distinctive translucent polymer magazines that can be clipped together for faster reloading, and it was produced in a shortened SG 551 carbine variant and a compact SG 552 commando variant alongside the full-length service rifle.
  • Used In: War in Afghanistan (2001-2021), Infobox: wars
    War in Afghanistan (2001-2021) Sinai insurgency 2013 Lahad Datu standoff Yemeni Civil War (2014-present)
View the Source
2. SIG 550 series, Modern Firearms
  • introductory section, first paragraph
    The SIG 550 series of assault rifles came about in the late 1970's.
  • introductory section, second paragraph
    In 1983, the Swiss Army officially adopted the SIG SG-541 as the Sturmgewehr-90.
View the Source
3. Wikidata: SIG SG 550
Wikidata Q2206398, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
MilitaryFactory.com: SIG SG 550 (Sturmgewehr Model 550) / Stgw 90
MilitaryFactory.com
  • Operated By: Argentine Armed Forces, Operators
    [ Argentina; Brazil; Egypt; France; Germany; India; Indonesia; Macau; Malaysia; Malta; Pakistan; Philippines; Poland; Serbia; Slovakia; Spain; Switzerland; Turkey; United States ]
  • Operated By: Brazilian Army, Operators
    [ Argentina; Brazil; Egypt; France; Germany; India; Indonesia; Macau; Malaysia; Malta; Pakistan; Philippines; Poland; Serbia; Slovakia; Spain; Switzerland; Turkey; United States ]
  • Operated By: Egyptian Armed Forces, Operators
    [ Argentina; Brazil; Egypt; France; Germany; India; Indonesia; Macau; Malaysia; Malta; Pakistan; Philippines; Poland; Serbia; Slovakia; Spain; Switzerland; Turkey; United States ]
  • Operated By: French Armed Forces, Operators
    [ Argentina; Brazil; Egypt; France; Germany; India; Indonesia; Macau; Malaysia; Malta; Pakistan; Philippines; Poland; Serbia; Slovakia; Spain; Switzerland; Turkey; United States ]
  • Operated By: Bundeswehr, Operators
    [ Argentina; Brazil; Egypt; France; Germany; India; Indonesia; Macau; Malaysia; Malta; Pakistan; Philippines; Poland; Serbia; Slovakia; Spain; Switzerland; Turkey; United States ]
View the Source
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