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wz. 88 Tantal
The wz. 88 Tantal and its later derivative, the wz. 96 Beryl, represent Poland's efforts to develop modernized indigenous 5.45x39mm and 5.56x45mm Kalashnikov rifles in response to late Cold War Warsaw Pact and NATO cartridge standardizations. Since the 1950s, Poland adopted and manufactured 7.62x39mm AK and AKM clones designated as the pmK (pistolet maszynowy Kałasznikowa; lit. "Kalashnikov submachine gun"), later re-designated as the kbk AK (karabinek AK; lit. "AK carbine"), with grenade-launching and folding-stocked variants.
In the mid-1970s, the Soviet Union's adoption of the 5.45x39mm AK-74 made other Warsaw Pact countries interested in adopting the 5.45x39mm. While Poland inquired about manufacturing the AK-74 under license, the license costs and export limitations on the AK-74 made the Polish government decide to instead develop its own improved 5.45x39mm Kalashnikov variants. This led to the development of the Tantal, which was slowly developed over the course of the 1980s and was briefly manufactured and put into service in the early 1990s.
Following the end of the Cold War and the start of Poland's efforts to join NATO in 1991, Poland developed and adopted a new 5.56x45mm version of the Tantal known as the Beryl to integrate with NATO cartridge standards. The Beryl remains Poland's standard service rifle to this day, and it has seen numerous improvements and variations over the course of its modern service history.
wz. 88 Tantal
The kbk wz. 88 (karabinek wzór 1988; lit. "model 1988 carbine"), codenamed Tantal ("Tantalum"), is a 5.45mm assault rifle designed and produced by Fabryka Broni Radom in Poland in the late 1980s. The Tantal was developed out of the wz. 80 prototype rifle, a Polish experimental improved variant of the AKMS featuring a distinctive three-round-burst mechanism. Development considerations included the retainment of the wz. 80's burst option, interchangeability with the AKM, as well as the ability to fire rifle grenades. The side-folding stock was patterend after that of the East German MPi-KMS-72.
The rifle's development was slowed down significantly due to Poland's 1981 martial law, but the design was eventually finalized in 1988, and the rifle entered military service and began serial manufacture in 1991. However, as Poland had already left the Warsaw Pact and began its efforts to join NATO in 1991, the 5.45mm Tantal rifle was no longer necessary, and production was halted in 1994. Poland soon began development on a variant of the Tantal chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO to replace its service, which would become the wz. 1996 Beryl.
Earlier production Tantal rifles featured orange plastic furniture, while later ones featured black furniture.
Specifications
(1991–1994)
- Type: Assault Rifle
- Caliber: 5.45x39mm, 5.56x45mm (wz. 90 prototype)
- Weight: 8.1 lbs (3.7 kg)
- Length: 37.1 in (94.3 cm) (stock extended), 29.4 in (74.8 cm) (stock folded)
- Barrel Length: 17 in (43.2 cm)
- Feed System: 30-round detachable box magazine
- Fire Mode(s): Semi/Burst/Auto
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pigs 2 (Psy 2: Ostatnia krew) | Boguslaw Linda | Franz Maurer | 1994 | |
| Pigs 2 (Psy 2: Ostatnia krew) | Artur Zmijewski | Radoslaw Wolf | 1994 |
Anime
| Anime Title | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upotte!! | Tantal | 2012 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cross Fire | WZ-88 TANTAL | w/synthetic handguard and grip and bipods | 2007 | |
| Ground Branch | w/synthetic handguard and grip | 2018 |
wz. 89 Onyks
Poland made its own equivalent of the AKS-74U known as the skbk wz. 89 (subkarabinek wzór 1989; lit. "model 1989 sub-carbine"), codenamed Onyks ("Onyx"), based on the wz. 88 Tantal. The Onyks differs from the AKS-74U most notably in the design of the folding stock, rear sights mounted on the front trunion rather than dust cover, and a different muzzle device that allows the firing of rifle-grenades.
Work on the weapon began in 1989 at the Ośrodek Badawczo-Rozwojowy state research institute in the city of Radom. The weapon’s technical specifications were confirmed that same year. First prototypes were made in 1990, and last pre-production batch of approximately 150 (or less) carbines in 1995. Carbines from all three series can be identified by having different rear-sights, or plastic furniture (pictured). The wz. 89 Onyks was never issued to the Polish Army, and weapons from the third batch were destroyed, deactivated or sold to the movie industry.
Specifications
(1993–?)
- Type: Carbine
- Caliber: 5.45x39mm, 5.56x45mm (wz. 91 prototype)
- Weight: 7.1 lbs (3.2 kg)
- Length: 28.3 in (72 cm) (stock extended), 20.4 in (51.9 cm) (stock folded)
- Barrel Length: 8.1 in (20.7 cm)
- Feed System: 30-round detachable box magazine
- Fire Mode(s): Semi/Burst/Auto
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pigs 2 (Psy 2: Ostatnia krew) | Yakushin´s man | 1994 | ||
| Sara | Jack Recknitz | Jozef´s bodyguard | 1997 | |
| Proof of Life | Russian soldiers and ELT rebels | 2000 | ||
| Avalon | Players | 2001 | ||
| The Foreigner | Mansion guards | 2003 | ||
| Pitbull | Andrzej Grabowski | Jacek Goc "Gebels" | 2005 | |
| Pitbull | Janusz Gajos | Zbigniew Chyb "Benek" | 2005 | |
| Weekend (2010) | 2010 | |||
| Hans Kloss. Stawka wieksza niz smierc | East German soldier | 2012 | ||
| Karbala | Insurgents' leader | 2015 | ||
| Pitbull: Tough Women | Gang members | 2016 | ||
| Women of Mafia | Sebastian Fabijanski | Artur Ostrowski "Cieniu" | 2018 | |
| Women of Mafia 2 | Masked killer | 2019 |
Television
| Show Title | Actor | Character | Note / Episode | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kryminalni | Maciej Zakoscielny | Marek Brodecki | "Powrot" (S3E11) | 2005 |
| Kryminalni | Magdalena Schejbal | Barbara Storosz | "W potrzasku" (S5E08) | 2006 |
| Kryminalni | Various | 2004-2008 |
wz. 96 Beryl
The kbs wz. 96 (karabinek szturmowy wzór 1996; lit. "model 1996 assault carbine"), codenamed Beryl, is a Polish assault rifle chambered for 5.56x45mm NATO. The Beryl rifle was developed from the wz. 88 Tantal rifle, and since its adoption by the Polish military in 1997 went through several modifications focused on improving its ergonomics. The Beryl is often used with a quick-detach sight rail.
Several variants of the rifle exists. The basic model is the kbs wz. 1996A Beryl. The 96B (made in 2004) model has a fixed foregrip and side rails. The 96C (made in 2009) model features many modernized features, such as a new buttstock, rails, magazine, and foregrip.
Specifications
(1996 - Present)
- Type: Assault Rifle
- Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
- Weight: 7.4 lbs (3.4 kg) empty
- Length: 37.1 in (94.3 cm) with unfolded stock
- Barrel Length: 18 in (45.7 cm)
- Feed System: 20, 30-round box magazine
- Fire Mode(s): Semi/Burst/Auto
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Notation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demons of War | Serbian separatists | 1998 | ||
| Karbala | Polish and American soldiers | Fitted with EoTech 552 holographic sights, anachronistic | 2015 | |
| Women of Mafia 2 | Polish soldiers | 2019 | ||
| Black Widow | Polish soldiers | Deleted scene | 2021 | |
| Soulcatcher | Multiple characters | wz.96C, multiple attachments | 2023 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Reality | wz. 96A | 2005 |
Beryl M762
The Beryl M762 is an export version of the kbs wz. 96C chambered in 7.62x39mm. It is most notably used by Nigeria.
A related development is the Beryl M545, a proposed 5.45x39mm version of the Beryl that did not enter production.
Specifications
(?)
- Type: Assault Rifle
- Caliber: 7.62x39mm
- Barrel Length: 18 in (45.7 cm)
- Feed System: 30-round box magazine
- Fire Mode(s): Semi/Burst/Auto
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow Six: Siege | M762 | Fitted with Hera Arms CQR stock, Midwest Industries Extended Handguard and railed dust cover | added in Operation White Noise (2017) | 2015 |
| Playerunknown's Battlegrounds | Beryl M762 | Released in 2018 update | 2017 | |
| World War 3 | Beryl | 2018 |
wz. 96 Mini-Beryl
The Mini-Beryl's design combines features from both the wz. 1989 Onyks carbine and the wz. 1996 Beryl rifle; the principal components that were modified include the barrel, barrel trunnion, upper and lower handguards, muzzle device and magazine. The weapon’s method of operation, the rotary bolt locking mechanism and ammunition are identical to those of the wz. 1996 Beryl standard rifle.
There are multiple variants of the Mini-Beryl that correspond to the variants of the full-length Beryl. Of note is that the original, basic 96A Mini-Beryl is not mass produced and exists only in limited numbers.
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Notation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soulcatcher | Damian | wz.96C, multiple attachments | 2023 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears As | Mods | Notes | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Reality | Fitted with a EoTech 552 holographic sight and proprietary foregrip | 2005 |
wz. 2005 Jantar
Based on the wz. 1996 Beryl, the wz. 2005 Jantar ("Amber") is a Polish bullpup rifle chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO. It was a prototype to test out the advantages of bullpup rifles and gave FB Radom a starting point for modernizing the Polish Army to NATO standards. It was never intended for mass production or adoption and only two examples were made.
Anime
| Anime Title | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Life with a Monster Girl | Zombina | 2015 |
See Also
- Fabryka Broni Radom - A list of all firearms manufactured by Fabryka Broni Radom.