DSEI 2025: Hands On With ST Engineering's New Bullpup - the AME-B514
This year at the DSEI 2025 defense expo in London Singapore’s ST Engineering displayed their newest AR-15 pattern rifles and their new bullpup - the AME-B514. We first saw ST Engineering’s ‘Next Gen SAR’ at the Singapore Airshow 2024 but the design is still developing and its externals have noticeably changed. This week at DSEI, TFB had the honour of being the first to get up close and handle the new rifle.
ST Engineering revealed that the rifle’s designation is AME-B514 (‘B’ indicating its a bullpup). The B514 is chambered in 5.56×45mm, it’s available in barrel lengths between 14.5in and 20in. The rifle has an adjustable buttstock with its controls are ambidextrous and ST Engineering say that the controls layout is inspired by the AR-15/M16, the cocking handle can be switched to either side of the weapon.
The new bullpup was displayed in a case at the ST Engineering booth but they kindly allowed US a chance to photograph the rifle out of the booth and handle it for the first time. ST Engineering explained that they’re paying a lot of attention to the rifles aesthetics, seeking to give the rifle its own identity. Since we last saw the rifle some of its aesthetics have changed with the AUG-style enclosed pistol grip being removed and the cheek piece seen earlier was not present on the rifle at DSEI. The external aesthetic of the rifle has a futuristic look which is accentuated by the distinctly sculpted pistol grip. While the grip may not look the most practical shape on handling the rifle I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable it was. The forend has a top Picatinny rail which extends rearward, while the rest of the sides have MLOK interfaces.
The rifle weighs in at around 3.5kg / 7.7lbs, ST Engineering confirmed that the rifle uses a long-stroke gas piston, which has a number of positions. Development is continuing with both the externals and internals still being refined. Speaking the ST Engineering representatives they noted that the rifle was entering the TR26A pre-production stage with full qualification anticipated for 2026.
Also on display, alongside the AME-B514, were the company's new 40mm grenade launcher and their new AR-15s. The grenade launcher was displayed in its standalone configuration with an optic. The new AR-15 patterned rifle family is designated the AME-A5XX with the last two numbers denoting the barrel length for example the three weapons on display were designated the AME-A510, A514 and A520. Below are some photos of the new rifles.
ST Engineering are manufacturing all of the rifles’ metal components and have developed the rifles to enable them to offer both conventional and bullpup options for future tenders.
Managing Editor: TheFirearmBlog.com & Overt Defense.com. Matt is a British historian specialising in small arms development and military history. He has written several books and for a variety of publications in both the US and UK. Matt is also runs The Armourer's Bench, a video series on historically significant small arms. Here on TFB he covers product and current military small arms news. Reach Matt at: matt@thefirearmblog.com
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I wonder if the collapsible stock on the rifle is like that on the VHS-2/Hellion, going from long to extra long. If so, possibly another marketing gimmick for export, given Singaporeans tend to be smaller in stature.
Is this a licensed Desert Tech?