Vektor R4#Variants

{{Infobox weapon

| name = R4 rifle

| image = VektorR4.png

| image_size = 300

| caption = Vektor R4 at the South African National Museum of Military History

| origin = South Africa

| is_ranged = Yes

| service = 1980–present{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hLBTkNZ8U44C|page=392|title=Rifles: an illustrated history of their impact|author=Dr. David Westwood|isbn=1-85109-401-6|year=2005|publisher=ABC-CLIO}}

| used_by = See Users

| wars = {{ubl|South African Border War|Rwandan Civil War|Bophuthatswana crisis|Burundian Civil War|Republic of the Congo Civil War (1997–99){{sfn|Small Arms Survey 2003|p=267}}|Kivu conflict|Central African Republic conflict{{cite book|title=Final report of the Panel of Experts on the Central African Republic extended pursuant to Security Council resolution 2262 (2016)|date=5 December 2016|url=https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/s_2016_1032.pdf|pages=32&48}}}}Insurgency in Cabo Delgado Banjska attack{{Cite tweet |user=war_noir |number=1706323902291456209 |title=More photos of the captured weapons in #Zvečan (#Mitrovica) |date=2023-09-25|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926191243/https://twitter.com/war_noir/status/1706323902291456209|archive-date=September 26, 2023}}

| designer = Yisrael Galili of Israel Military Industries{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Eq2Dnj4sDZIC|pages=139–141|title=Rifles of the World|author=Jonh Walter|publisher=Krause Publications|year=2006|isbn=0-89689-241-7}}{{efn|Minor adaptions were made to the original Israeli Galil design by Lyttelton Engineering Works.}}

| design_date = Late 1970's early 1980's

| manufacturer = Lyttelton Engineering Works, now Denel Land Systems

| production_date =

| number = 420,000{{cite web|title=Denel Showcases a 21st Century R4 Assault Rifle at AAD|url=http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9747:denel-showcases-a-21st-century-r4-assault-rifle-at-aad&catid=50:Land&Itemid=105 |first=Leon|last=Engelbrect|date=24 September 2010|access-date=21 July 2012|publisher=Defence Web}}

| variants = R5, R6, LM4, LM5, LM6

| weight = {{convert|4.3|kg|lb|2|abbr=on}}{{cite book|last=Gander|first=Terry|title=Jane's Infantry Weapons, 1997-98|date=1997|pages=173–174|publisher=Jane's Information Group|location=Surrey|isbn=0-7106-1548-5}}

| length = {{convert|877|mm|in|abbr=on}} with stock extended

| part_length = {{convert|460|mm|in|abbr=on}}

| width =

| height =

| diameter =

| cartridge = 5.56×45mm NATO

| action = Gas-operated (rotating bolt)

| rate = 600-750 rounds/min

| velocity = {{convert|980|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on}}

| range = {{convert|500|m|yd|abbr=on}}

| max_range =

| feed = 35-round detachable magazine

| sights = Flip up aperture rear sight graduated for 300 and 500 meters

}}

The Vektor R4 is a South African 5.56×45mm assault rifle.{{cite book|last=Tilstra|first=Russell|title=Small Arms For Urban Combat|date=2011|pages=77–78|publisher=McFarland Press|location=Jefferson|isbn=978-0786465231}}

History

It entered service as the standard service rifle of the South African Defence Force (SADF) in 1980.

In South African service, the R4 replaced the R1, a variant of the 7.62×51mm FN FAL.

It was produced by Lyttelton Engineering Works (LIW, "Lyttelton Ingenieurswerke"), now Denel Land Systems.

Design details

The weapon is a licensed variant of the IMI Galil assault rifleWoźniak, Ryszard. Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej – tom 4 R-Z. Bellona. 2002. pp9–10.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Eq2Dnj4sDZIC|title=Rifles of the World|author=John Walter|page=141|year=2006|publisher=Krause Publications|isbn=0-89689-241-7}} with several modifications; both the stock and magazine are now made of a high-strength polymer and the stock was lengthened, adapting the weapon for the average South African soldier.

Other detailed differences include the R4's lack of a carry handle and a number of modifications made to its internal operating mechanism.

=Operating mechanism=

The R4 is a selective fire, gas-operated weapon that fires from a closed bolt.

As with the IMI Galil, the operating system is derived from that of the AK-47.

It uses ignited powder gases channelled through a vent in the barrel to drive a long stroke piston located above the barrel in a gas cylinder to provide power to the operating system.

The weapon features a self-regulating gas system and a rotary bolt breech locking mechanism (equipped with two locking lugs), which is rotated by a helical camming groove machined into the bolt carrier that engages a control pin on the bolt.

Extraction is carried out by means of a spring-loaded extractor contained in the bolt and a protrusion on the left guide rail inside the receiver acts as the fixed ejector.

Internally, the R4 differs from the Galil in the addition of a new gas tube lock to prevent the tube from shaking loose during sustained fire, and the introduction of much wider sear.

It also has a unique bolt and firing pin, both of which were redesigned to resolve an issue where the firing pin would set off a chambered cartridge with the bolt closed.

The new firing pin is secured by a polyurethane piece inside the bolt except when positively driven forward.

The R4's parts can be interchanged with the Galil ARM with Valmet rifle magazine made for 5.56 NATO caliber being usable for the R4.Roodhorst, The Kalashnikov Encyclopedia III: Serbia-VietnamPage 2961.

=Features=

File:FIB-training-01.jpg peacekeeping force, armed with an R4 during a training exercise in 2013]]

The R4 is hammer-fired and uses a trigger mechanism with a 3-position fire selector and safety switch.

The stamped sheet steel selector bar is present on both sides of the receiver and its positions are marked with letters: "S"— indicating the weapon is safe, "R"—single-fire mode ("R" is an abbreviation for "repetition"), and "A"—fully automatic fire.

The "safe" setting disables the trigger and secures the weapon from being charged.

The R4 is fed from a steel or synthetic box magazine with a 35-round cartridge capacity (designed to use the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge with the M193 projectile).

Steel magazines were initially manufactured for the weapon, but this was replaced by a nylon and fiberglass copy to reduce weight. A 50-round steel magazine was produced during the 1980s.

The R4 has a side-folding tubular stock, which folds to the right side of the receiver. The rifle's handguard, pistol grip, magazine, stock arms and shoulder pad are all made from a synthetic material, making it lighter in weight than the equivalent original Galil, which uses heavier metal and wood in these components.

For regular field maintenance and cleaning, the firearm is disassembled into the following components: the receiver and barrel group, bolt carrier, bolt, return mechanism, gas tube, receiver dust cover and magazine.

=Sights=

The rifle has conventional iron sights that consist of a front post and a flip-up rear sight with 300 and 500 m apertures.

The front sight is adjustable for windage and elevation and is installed in a durable circular shroud.

The rear sight is welded at the end of the receiver's dust cover. For nighttime use, the R4 is equipped with self-luminous tritium light dots (exposed after placing the rear sight in an intermediate position) installed in a pivoting bar to the front sight base, which folds up in front of the standard post and aligns with two dots in the rear sight notch.

= Upgrade =

DLS has introduced remanufactured models of the R4, R5, R6 that have Picatinny rails. DLS has also introduced grenade launchers, grips and other underbarrel attachments.{{cite web|url=http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9747:denel-showcases-a-21st-century-r4-assault-rifle-at-aad&catid=50:Land&Itemid=105 |title=Denel showcases a 21st Century R4 assault rifle at AAD |publisher=DefenceWeb |date=24 September 2010 |access-date=1 October 2012}}

Variants

File:Vektor LM5 Feb 2008.jpg

= R5 =

The R5 is the license-produced version of the Galil SAR.

The R5, when compared to the larger R4, has a barrel that is {{convert|130|mm|in|1}} shorter, together with a shorter gas system and handguard. It also lacks a bipod, and the flash hider does not support rifle grenades.

= R6 =

In the 1990s, an even more compact personal defence weapon variant of the R5 was developed for armoured vehicle crews, designated the R6, which has a further reduced barrel and a shortened gas cylinder and piston assembly. This reduced the barrel length to {{convert|279|mm|in|1}}.

= Prototypes =

Denel developed prototypes for the R7 and R8, a heavy barrelled squad automatic weapon and a locally produced Micro-Galil, respectively, but it is unclear whether these entered production.

= Semi-automatic variants =

LIW/DLS also introduced a line of semi-automatic variants of the R4, R5 and R6 called the LM4, LM5 and LM6 respectively, built for civilian and law enforcement users. The rifles were marketed by Musgrave, with the joint venture between the Lyttelton and Musgrave conferring the rifle's "LM" prefix.

Vektor Rifle	colspan="7"\|Specifications
class="wikitable"
Model	Overall Length	Barrel Length	Weight	ROF
R4 Rifle	1,005 mm (39.6 in) stock extended 740 mm (29.1 in) stock folded	460 mm (18.1 in)	4.3 kg (9.48 lb)	650–700 rpm
R5 Carbine	877 mm (34.5 in) stock extended 615 mm (24.2 in) stock folded	332 mm (13.1 in)	3.7 kg (8.2 lb)	650–700 rpm
R6 PDW	805 mm (31.7 in) stock extended 565 mm (22.2 in) stock folded	280 mm (11.0 in)	3.6 kg (7.9 lb)	585 rpm

Users

File:Vektor R4 Users.png

{{flag|Burundi}}
Burundian rebels{{cite book|url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2007.html|chapter-url= http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2007/en/full/Small-Arms-Survey-2007-Chapter-06-EN.pdf|chapter=Armed Violence in Burundi: Conflict and Post-Conflict Bujumbura|title=The Small Arms Survey 2007: Guns and the City|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2007|author=Small Arms Survey|page=204|isbn=978-0-521-88039-8|author-link= Small Arms Survey}}
{{CAF}}{{cite book|title=The Central African Republic and Small Arms: A Regional Tinderbox|first1=Eric G.|last1= Berman |first2=Louisa N. |last2=Lombard|date= December 2008|publisher=Small Arms Survey|isbn=978-2-8288-0103-8|url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/D-Book-series/book-07-CAR/SAS-Central-African-Republic-and-Small-Arms.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140802224632/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/D-Book-series/book-07-CAR/SAS-Central-African-Republic-and-Small-Arms.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 August 2014|page=94}}{{cite news|title=Centrafrique : le Soudan a-t-il armé les ex-Séléka ? |language=fr|work=Jeune Afrique|date=17 December 2013|url=https://www.jeuneafrique.com/166718/politique/centrafrique-le-soudan-a-t-il-arm-les-ex-s-l-ka/|first=Laurent |last=Touchard }}
{{flag|Eswatini}}
Eswatini Police{{cite book |last=Thwala |first=Phumelele |url=https://oldsite.issafrica.org/publications/other-publications/hide-and-seek.-taking-account-of-small-arms-in-southern-africa |title=Hide and Seek: Taking Account of Small Arms in Southern Africa |date=1 October 2004 |page=276 |chapter=Country study: Swaziland |chapter-url=https://oldsite.issafrica.org/uploads/HIDESWAZILAND.PDF}}
{{flag|Haiti}}
Armed Forces of Haiti
Haitian National Police{{Cite web|url=https://www.latinamericanstudies.org/haiti/weapons.htm|title=South Africa admits sending weapons to Haiti}}
{{flag|Lesotho}}{{cite book|title=Beyond Blue Helmets: Promoting Weapons and Ammunition Management in Non-UN Peace Operations|first=Eric G. |last=Berman|publisher=Small Arms Survey/MPOME |date=March 2019|url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/U-Reports/SAS-MPOME-Report-WAM-Non-UN-Peace-Ops.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603103636/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/U-Reports/SAS-MPOME-Report-WAM-Non-UN-Peace-Ops.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 June 2019|page=43}}
{{flag|Malawi}}
Malawi Police Service{{Cite web |url=http://www.malawilii.org/mw/judgment/high-court-general-division/2009/49/49_0.rtf |title=Archived copy |access-date=5 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018134110/https://www.malawilii.org/mw/judgment/high-court-general-division/2009/49/49_0.rtf |archive-date=18 October 2017 |url-status=dead}}
{{flag|Republic of the Congo}}
15,900 R4/R5s were delivered to Congolese security forces in 1996 and 1997{{cite book |author=Small Arms Survey |url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2003.html |title=Small Arms Survey 2003: Development Denied |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2003 |isbn=0199251754 |pages=263 |chapter=Making the Difference?: Weapon Collection and Small Arms Availability in the Republic of Congo |ref={{harvid|Small Arms Survey 2003}} |author-link=Small Arms Survey |chapter-url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2003/en/Small-Arms-Survey-2003-Chapter-08-EN.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101112154702/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2003.html |archive-date=12 November 2010 |url-status=dead}}
{{flag|Rwanda|1962}}
Imported for use in the Rwandan National Army as of 1992{{cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org/ar/documents/pol30/050/2006/ar/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181206002033/https://www.amnesty.org/ar/documents/pol30/050/2006/ar/|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 December 2018|title=Media Briefing: Bullets from Greece, China, Russia and United States found in rebel hands in Democratic Republic of Congo|website=amnesty.org|access-date=17 April 2018}}
Some captured by the Rwandan Patriotic Front{{cite magazine|journal=Human Rights Watch Arms Project |date=January 1994 |volume= 6|issue= 1 |title=Arming Rwanda: The Arms Trade and Human Rights, Abuses in the Rwandan War|page=16|url=https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/RWANDA941.PDF}}
{{flag|Serbia}}
Special Brigade{{cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/28306246/Li%C4%8Cna-Karta |title=LiČna Karta |publisher=Scribd.com |date=13 March 2010 |access-date=21 July 2012}}
SAJ{{Cite web |url=https://specijalne-jedinice.com/Srbija/SAJ-English.html#sthash.H0GnUwyq.dpbs |title=Specijalne-jedinice.com {{!}} Special Anti-terrorist Unit-SAU |access-date=22 August 2018 |archive-date=22 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722213534/https://specijalne-jedinice.com/Srbija/SAJ-English.html#sthash.H0GnUwyq.dpbs |url-status=dead }}
{{flag|South Africa}}
Standard issue rifle of the South African National Defence Force
The compact R5 carbine is popular among police and special response units{{cite web|url=http://www.army.mil.za/equipment/weaponsystems/infantry/R4_R5%20Assault_Rifles.htm |title=R4 R5 Assault Rifles |publisher=Army.mil.za |date=13 December 2010 |access-date=21 July 2012}}

In popular culture

Savior: 1998 war film starring Dennis Quaid set during the Bosnian War. Quaid's character uses an R4 modified as a designated marksman rifle. According to Imdb, this weapon would have been used by the Bosnian Serb military which purchased several thousand R4 rifles during the conflict, but not by the French Foreign Legion. The modifications include a scope mounted on an AK-style receiver mount (the original Galil scope mount notch was replaced by a lightening cut on the R4), along with a cheek rest which has been installed on the original folding stock and removal of the sights.
Hotel Rwanda: 2004 war drama starring Don Cheadle set during the Rwandan genocide; in this film a Rwandan soldier is seen using an R4 in several scenes.
Machine Gun Preacher: 2011 biopic war film starring Gerard Butler, where soldiers of the South Sudan People's Defence Forces are seen using modified R4s.

Notes

References

Bibliography

{{cite book |last1=Roodhorst |first1=Cor |date= 2015|title= The Kalashnikov Encyclopedia: Recognition and Weapon Forensic Guide for Kalashnikov Arms and Derivatives III: Serbia–Vietnam |location=Netherlands |publisher=Roodhorst Publications |isbn=978-90-9027549-9}}
{{cite book| last = Woźniak| first = Ryszard| year = 2002| pages = 9–10| title = Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej – tom 4 R-Z| publisher = Bellona| location = Warsaw, Poland| isbn = 83-11-09312-1|language=pl}}