SAR 109T: Specifications and the First US Police Adoption of a Turkish SMG
The SAR 109T sits in Sarsılmaz’s military and security range beside the SAR 56 rifle and the SAR 762 MT and SAR 127 MT machine guns. This guide sets out the manufacturer’s published figures, where the product pages disagree with the data sheet, and what has been confirmed about institutional users. For the wider catalogue, see our guide to Sarsılmaz military weapons.
Development and background
Sarsılmaz presents the SAR 109T as an original design for defensive and institutional use. The English product page says it was designed to NATO standards on a modular body that accepts accessories, and that a version with a carrying handle is also offered. The company places the gun in its “Submachine Guns” / “Otomatik Tabancalar” catalogue alongside a separate listing titled “SAR 109T Semi Automatic”.
That second listing needs a caution. On the pages checked on 5 November 2026, the Semi Automatic product page reused the same specification block as the full SAR 109T page, including “Semi / Full Auto” fire modes. We therefore treat the Semi Automatic URL as a catalogue entry that currently duplicates the select-fire data, not as independently verified semi-only figures.
Design and features
The data sheet describes a straight-blowback (geri tepme) weapon fed by a sheet-metal magazine. Fire modes are safety, single shot and full automatic. Listed features include a five-position adjustable stock; the product text also describes a length-adjustable telescopic butt stock that transmits recoil in a straight line to the shoulder, a diopter sight set for 50 and 100 m, and a foldable, adjustable mechanical sight. The product pages state that 10-, 20- or 30-round magazines can be used; the data sheet’s capacity line is “Magazine, 30”.
| Manufacturer data (data sheet Rev. 0, 29 Sep 2023) | SAR 109T |
|---|---|
| Calibre | 9×19 mm |
| Operating principle | Blowback (straight blowback on product page) |
| Fire modes | Safety, semi-automatic, full automatic |
| Magazine capacity (sheet) | 30 rounds |
| Barrel length | 248 mm (±5 mm) / 9.8″ |
| Overall length, stock open | 705 mm (±10 mm) / 27.8″ |
| Overall length, stock closed | 625 mm (±10 mm) / 24.6″ |
| Height × width | 275 × 45 mm (±5 mm) |
| Weight | 2,750 g (±50 g) — sheet: with empty magazine; product page label: “Without Magazine” |
| Empty magazine | 210 g (±10 g) |
| Full magazine (approx.) | 585 g |
| Stated rate of fire | 900 (±100) rounds/min |
| Stated muzzle velocity | 400 m/s (±50 m/s) |
| Stated effective range | 100 m |
| Stated accuracy | 12 cm at 25 m |
| Trigger pull | 25–40 N |
| Rifling | 6 right, 1/250 mm (1:9.8″) |
Figures are Sarsılmaz’s own, from its data sheet and product pages checked on 5 November 2026. They have not been independently tested.
Where the official material disagrees
- Weight label: the data sheet gives 2,750 g for the rifle with empty magazine; the English product page prints the same number next to “Without Magazine”. Readers comparing sources should note the different labels for the same figure.
- Magazine options: the product text lists 10-, 20- and 30-round magazines; the sheet’s capacity field only states 30.
- Semi Automatic page: as noted above, that listing currently reprints select-fire specifications.
Where figures differ, this article prefers the data sheet and notes the alternative.
The Doral Police Department claim
In a Turkish-language company news release, Sarsılmaz said the SAR 109T had entered the inventory of the Doral Police Department in Florida and described it as the first Turkish submachine gun in US police service. Chairman Latif Aral Aliş is quoted saying Doral had taken the SAR 109T into duty inventory. The same release says the department also began a test and evaluation process covering the SAR9 SOCOM Compact, SAR9 Full Size and SAR9 Gen3 Frontline pistols.
Two distinctions matter. First, the company presents the SAR 109T as an inventory/adoption step and the SAR9 pistols as evaluation. Our earlier SAR9 SOCOM and Gen3 articles follow that split, and we keep it here. Second, we have not found a public statement on the City of Doral or Doral PD websites confirming the adoption; Doral’s public site returned an access error when checked for this article. Until a department or city statement appears, the US police claim remains a manufacturer announcement.
Our company hub and military-weapons guide date the Doral claim to May 2026, consistent with how those pages already record the milestone.
International context
In NATO and many police forces, the reference compact 9 mm select-fire carbine for decades has been the Heckler & Koch MP5 family and its successors. The SAR 109T occupies a similar role on paper: pistol-calibre ammunition, blowback operation, short barrel and institutional marketing. A detailed specification comparison is planned as a separate article; we do not rank the guns here, because no independent comparative test has been published.
Sarsılmaz’s wider military line — rifles and machine guns — is covered in the military weapons guide and in the company profile of Sarsılmaz.
Confirmed users and markets
| User | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Doral Police Department, Florida, USA | Inventory / adoption (company) | Sarsılmaz news release; no independent department statement found |
| Turkish Armed Forces; Gendarmerie General Command; General Directorate of Security | Active use (company product page) | Manufacturer product text only; no separate force announcement found for this article |
| SAR9 pistols at Doral PD | Test and evaluation only | Same Sarsılmaz release; not an SMG adoption |
Sarsılmaz markets the SAR 109T for law-enforcement and defensive roles and says it exports to more than 80 countries overall, but it has not published a customer list for this model beyond the claims above. We list no other users.
What makes it notable?
The SAR 109T matters less for any single published figure than for the institutional claim attached to it: a Turkish-made 9 mm submachine gun entering a US municipal police inventory, according to the manufacturer, while related SAR9 pistols at the same department remain under evaluation. It also fills the pistol-calibre select-fire slot in a catalogue that otherwise runs from polymer pistols to a 12.7 mm tank machine gun. The open questions are independent confirmation of users, clarity on the Semi Automatic listing, and any comparative test data.
Frequently asked questions
What is the SAR 109T?
The SAR 109T is a 9×19 mm submachine gun made by Sarsılmaz in Türkiye. Its data sheet describes blowback operation, safety / semi / full-auto fire, a 248 mm barrel and a 30-round magazine.
How much does the SAR 109T weigh?
Sarsılmaz’s data sheet gives 2,750 g (±50 g) for the rifle with an empty magazine. The product page shows the same number labelled “Without Magazine”.
Did a US police department adopt the SAR 109T?
Sarsılmaz says the Doral Police Department in Florida put the SAR 109T into inventory and calls it the first Turkish SMG in US police service. We have not found a matching public statement from the department.
Is the SAR 109T the same as the SAR9 pistols tested at Doral?
No. At Doral, Sarsılmaz describes the SAR 109T as entering inventory, while the SAR9 SOCOM Compact, SAR9 Full Size and SAR9 Gen 3 Frontline pistols are described as being in test and evaluation.
What is the SAR 109T Semi Automatic listing?
It is a separate product URL on sarsilmaz.com. On the pages checked on 5 November 2026 it reused the select-fire specification block, so we do not treat it as independently verified semi-only data.
How much does the SAR 109T cost?
Sarsılmaz has not published a price, and no contract value for US or Turkish institutional purchases of this model has been made public.
Related Defense and Tech articles
- Sarsılmaz Military Weapons: Rifles and Machine Guns
- Sarsılmaz: Company, Products, History and Global Presence
- SAR9 SOCOM Pistol: Specifications, the SAR9 SP Link and US Police Adoption
- SAR9 Gen3 Pistol: Specifications and What Changed From the Original SAR9 and Gen2
- SAR 762 MT Machine Gun: Variants A to E and Platforms
- SAR 127 MT Heavy Machine Gun: Specifications and the ALTAY Integration
- SAR 56 Rifle: Specifications, Barrel Variants and Users
Sources
- Sarsılmaz — SAR 109T product page and technical data sheet (PDF, rev. 0, 29 Sep 2023)
- Sarsılmaz — SAR 109T Turkish product page
- Sarsılmaz — SAR 109T Semi Automatic product page
- Sarsılmaz — SAR 109T enters Doral police inventory; SAR9 evaluation (news, Turkish)
Last verified: 5 November 2026. Specifications are the manufacturer’s published figures; adoption and Turkish institutional-use claims are attributed to Sarsılmaz. Featured photo: SAR 109T at MSPO 2024, Michał Derela / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
