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Small arms1944–present
Submachine gun
Sterling submachine gun is a submachine gun originating in United Kingdom. It was built by Sterling Armaments Company. Reported operators include Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Cuba, Cyprus, Eswatini, France, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guyana, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Rhodesia, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Tanzania, Tunisia, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, West Germany, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
United KingdomSterling submachine gun
Original photographs by an unidentified US Naval History and Heritage Command photographer, collage by User:Dvaderv2 · Public domain · Resized · Public domain · Source ↗ · ModifiedTechnical data
Submachine gun
United Kingdom
1944–present
See Users
World War II (Limited) Malayan Emergency Korean War Mau Mau Uprising Suez Crisis 1958 Lebanon crisis Bizerte crisis Aden Emergency Indonesia–Malaysia Confrontation Rhodesian Bush War Portuguese Colonial War Vietnam War Laotian Civil War Bangladesh Liberation War Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts Nigerian Civil War Second Malayan Emergency The Troubles Angolan Civil War Iran–Iraq War Falklands War Lebanese Civil War Sri Lankan Civil War Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir Gulf War Nepalese Civil War Iraq War Libyan Civil War
George William Patchett
1944
Sterling Armaments Company
1953–1988
400,000+
See Variants
2.7 kilograms (6.0 lb )
686 millimetres (27.0 in ) Folded stock: 481 millimetres (18.9 in)
196 millimetres (7.7 in)
9×19mm Parabellum 7.62×51mm NATO (Prototype only) .30 Carbine .357 (proposal) .40 S&W .45 ACP (PAWS ZX)
Straight blowback
550 rounds/min
200 metres (220 yd ) Suppressed: 50–100 metres (55–109 yd)
34-round box magazine or 32- or 50-round box magazine from the Sten and Lanchester
Iron sights
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belize
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei
Canada
Cuba
Cyprus
Eswatini
France
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guyana
Hong Kong
India
Iran
Iraq
Jamaica
Kenya
Kuwait
Lebanon
Lesotho
Libya
Malawi
Malaysia
Malta
Morocco
Myanmar
Nepal
New Zealand
Nigeria
North Korea
Oman
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Portugal
Qatar
Rhodesia
Saudi Arabia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Solomon Islands
Somalia
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Sweden
Tanzania
Tunisia
Trinidad and Tobago
Uganda
United Kingdom
United States
West Germany
Vanuatu
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Reference text from Wikipedia contributors, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
True scale
Sourced dimensions beside a 1.75 m human reference.
Points represent sourced observations, including revisions. Revisions on the same effective date are not separate inventory events. Ranges appear in the table and are not plotted as exact points.
| Observation / report period | Value | Source | Claim state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sept 2026 | 0.686 m | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| 28 Sept 2026 | 0.686 m | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| 28 Sept 2026 | 0.686 m | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
Sterling submachine gun equipment records. Variants, orders and quantities are shown as reported in each inventory source; coverage is incomplete.
Angola
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belize
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei
Canada
Cuba
Cyprus
Eswatini
France
Gabon
Ghana
Guinea
Guyana
India
Iran
Iraq
Jamaica
Kenya
Kuwait
Lebanon
Lesotho
Libya
Malawi
Malaysia
Malta
Morocco
Myanmar
Namibia
Nepal
New Zealand
Nigeria
North Korea
Oman
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Portugal
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Solomon Islands
Somalia
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Sweden
Tanzania
The Gambia
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Uganda United Kingdom
United States
Vanuatu
Zambia
ZimbabweArgentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Cuba, Cyprus, Eswatini, France, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guyana, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Rhodesia, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Tanzania, Tunisia, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, West Germany, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Equipment reference ↗