Polish Armaments Group (Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa or PGZ SA), a prominent player in Poland’s state-owned defense industry, has recently inked a significant contract for the supply of MSBS “GROT” assault rifles to a Central and Eastern African nation. This agreement marks the culmination of extensive collaboration between PGZ Group and various African countries, particularly in the realm of equipping individual soldiers. Looking forward, both parties aim to expand their partnership by incorporating additional Polish-manufactured equipment. It’s worth noting that a previous contract for the provision of MSBS “GROT” assault rifles to a regional country was successfully concluded in May 2022.
“We are happy that our partners have once again placed their trust in us by purchasing modern equipment manufactured by the PGZ Group. It’s a source of pride for us and a confirmation that our products are of the highest quality, being able to meet the requirements of the modern battlefield. We are glad that cooperation in the field of modern weapon systems is also part of the broader cooperation between Poland and Africa at the economic and political level,” said Sebastian Chwa?ek, President of the Management Board of PGZ S.A.
The FB MSBS Grot, which stands for “Modu?owy System Broni Strzeleckiej” or Modular Firearm System “Spearhead” in English, represents a versatile family of modular assault rifles developed and produced by FB “?ucznik” Radom. Early prototypes were initially referred to as the MSBS-5.56 Radon. Within the MSBS Grot family, two fundamental configurations exist: a conventional assault rifle and a bullpup configuration. Remarkably, the MSBS is Poland’s first domestically designed and manufactured machine carbine since World War II. Moreover, it constitutes the most substantial firearms sales contract undertaken by the Polish arms industry since 1989.
The development of various MSBS Grot variants was influenced by the requirements of the Polish Armed Forces, aiming to replace existing firearms like the AKM, FB Beryl, FB Mini-Beryl, and Pallad grenade launcher. The MSBS GROT is a selective fire modular assault rifle, offering modes for semi-automatic, 3-round burst, and fully automatic firing. It boasts a cyclic rate of fire ranging from approximately 700 to 900 rounds per minute. Presently, the MSBS Grot C is available in the assault rifle and carbine configurations, complete with a grenade launcher. Meanwhile, the MSBS Grot R and MSBS Grot S variants are also accessible. However, the MSBS Grot B, machine gun, and designated marksman rifle configurations are yet to be produced, and conversion kits between these variants remain unavailable. Importantly, a conversion kit to adapt the caliber to 7.62×39mm is available for this versatile and innovative firearm system.
