Armed Forces
Polish Army Purchases 7900 Beryl And Mini-Beryl Assault Rifles
Satelita konstelacji Pleiades. Ilustracja: CNES/Airbus
The Armament Inspectorate of the Polish Ministry of Defence is carrying out negotiations within the scope of acquisition of the Type 96 (wz. 96) rifles – also known as Beryl and Mini-Beryl. Procurement of these weapons is to be completed in 2016.
The negotiated order refers to delivery of 5 498 sets of the Beryl and 2 400 sets of the Mini-Beryl rifles. The final quantity has not yet been determined.
The acquisition is realized as a single-source procurement procedure, due to the fact that the Army is willing to acquire the same weapons it has been using so far, manufactured by the same contractor: the “Łucznik-Radom” arms factory. The delivery is to secure the ongoing needs of the elements of the Polish Army, which also stems from the fact that the post-soviet AK rifles are being replaced with the weapons that are utilizing the NATO standard ammunition.
The Ordering Party stressed the fact that the “Łucznik-Radom” facility is the only manufacturer of the 5.56 mm Beryl rifles. Selection of any other weapon would create a great deal of technical difficulties within the scope of maintenance and operational use of the new rifle.