Vektor SS-77

SS-77
South African National Defence Force soldier with a SS-77 machine gun
Type	General Purpose Machine Gun
Place of origin	South Africa
Service history
Used by	See Users
Wars	South African Border War
Production history
Designed	1977
Manufacturer	Denel Land Systems
Variants	Variants
Specifications
Weight	9.6 kg (21 lb 3 oz) (SS-77) 8.26 kg (18 lb 3 oz) (Mini SS)
Length	1155 mm (SS-77) 1000 mm (Mini-SS)
Barrel length	550 mm (SS-77) 500 mm (Mini-SS)
Cartridge	7.62×51mm NATO (SS-77) 5.56×45mm NATO (Mini-SS)
Action	Gas-operated, open bolt
Rate of fire	600–900 rounds/min
Feed system	100- or 200-round belt

The Vektor SS-77 is a general-purpose machine gun designed and manufactured by Denel Land Systems—formerly Lyttleton Engineering Works (LIW)—of South Africa.

In the late 1970s, South Africa was involved in an international controversy over apartheid and the South African Border War in Angola. As a result, it was subject to an international arms embargo and had to, out of necessity, design and manufacture its own weapons. The SS-77 was developed to replace the FN MAG. It was designed in 1977 by Richard Joseph Smith and Lazlo Soregi, hence the name "SS-77". "SS" for Smith and Soregi, "77" for 1977, the year it was designed.

In the early 1990s, a light machine gun 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 9.6 to 8.26 kg (21 lb 3 oz to 18 lb 3 oz) with a folding bipod and fixed butt.