In the heat of
battle, Polish soldiers
navigate the treacherous terrain,
their movements
synchronized with the rhythm
of their new weapon,
the Grot assault rifle.
Amidst the chaos, the
Grot emerges as a beacon
of adaptability,
effortlessly transforming to
meet the evolving
demands of combat.
As the squad
encounters an advancing
enemy unit, they
quickly realize their
standard firearms
are inadequate. In a
swift maneuver, one
soldier's Grot morphs,
its barrel extending,
caliber increasing,
now a formidable
machine gun suppressing
the enemy advance
with a relentless barrage.
With this newfound
firepower, the squad
advances. Approaching
their objective,
they face a new
challenge: a hidden sniper in
the shadows. The squad
leader makes a quick call,
and another Grot
transforms, this time into a
precision sniper rifle
with a 20-inch barrel.
A soldier, now a makeshift
sniper, steadies his
aim. The ensuing shot
is sharp and decisive,
neutralizing the hidden
threat. The MSBS Grot,
in its versatile glory,
proves its worth on the
battlefield – a symbol
of the dynamic nature
of modern warfare and
the soldiers who adeptly
navigate its challenges.
Chapter 1 Headlines
On November 16, 2023,
Polish arms manufacturer
Fabryka Broni, better
known globally as FB Radom,
reached the headlines
of the global military
industry after it
announced it had produced
over 100,000 of
its innovative native
assault rifles: the GB MSBS Grot.
FB Radom’s full
announcement stated: (QUOTE)
“MSBS GROT carbines
have been equipped with the
Polish army since 2017.
As part of the support
provided by the Polish
government, GROTs were
also equipped with the
Ukrainian Armed Forces,
where they prove
themselves in combat. In 2022,
Fabryka Broni also
delivered MSBS GROT rifles
to the United States
Department of Defense and
to one of the East
African countries.”
Doctor Wojciech
Arndt, President of the
Management Board of
Fabryka Broni “Łucznik” or
FB Radom, stated: (QUOTE)
“For almost 100 years,
as a leading Polish
company in the arms industry,
we have been supplying
small arms to our army,
of which we are
extremely proud, but we
also feel the importance
of responsibility.”
Arndt also highlighted
the company was already
hard at work developing
the MSBS GROT rifle
family, noting the
76N sniper rifle is close
to release alongside
the A3 Grot variant,
a sub-carbine with a 10-inch
barrel and a stockless version.
Poland’s rifle has come
a long way to reach
this impressive milestone.
The MSBS GROT carbine
was first envisioned
as part of Poland’s
ZISW Tytan military
project, the future
soldier military program
of the mid-2010s.
The first examples of
the GROT carbine were
delivered to the Polish
Armed Forces in November
2017 and have gained
popularity since then.
Chapter 2 Grot Assault Rifle The
FB MSBS Grot is an acronym in
Polish for Modułowy
System Broni Strzeleckiej or
Modular Small Arms
System. In a tribute to General
Stefan "Grot" Rowecki,
the rifle earned the Grot
moniker after the
Polish military adopted it.
Since its inception
in 2007 by the Military
University of
Technology in Warsaw,
the MSBS program
has been a collaborative
effort with firearms
manufacturer FB Radom to
replace the FB Beryl
rifle in the Polish military.
FB Radom’s Beryl, also
a Polish-made assault rifle
originally introduced in
1997 and chambered in the
intermediate 5.56×45-millimeter
NATO cartridge,
had become the military's standard
rifle. Still, Poland sought a more
unique design with
more innovative features.
Rigorous tests
conducted by the Military
University of Technology
pitted the MSBS-5.56
design against the
German HK416 assault rifle
inspired by the American M4
carbine. The fight seemed uneven,
considering Heckler
& Koch’s international
prestige, especially
when analyzing the
combat-tested AR-15
platform of the HK416.
Nonetheless, the
Polish platform left the
inspectors in awe
when it demonstrated
superior performance
in overheating and
reliability, even with a relatively
lighter and longer barrel profile.
Additional tests also
proved the Grot had
a more manageable
recoil pattern when fired
in fully automatic fire
compared with other
5.56-millimeter rifles,
such as the Belgian
FN SCAR-L and the
Czech CZ 805 Bren.
The secret behind the versatility
and success of the
Grot resided in its
modular weapon
system, envisioned to offer
adaptability in different
combat scenarios.
This system allows
soldiers to swiftly modify
their rifles, converting
them from assault rifles
to light machine guns
or designated marksman
rifles as needed,
streamlining an infantry squad's
arsenal depending on
their battlefield needs.
Like other modular
weapons systems already
employed with armies
around the globe,
the Grot and its
variants allow an infantry
squad to avoid
specialized weapons,
such as an LMG or a
high-caliber sniper rifle,
and focus on an all-in-one
weapons platform that
shares common parts.
Chapter 3 Variants
Fully compliant with
NATO standards,
the Grot boasts
ambidextrous controls,
a Picatinny rail to
customize the rifle
with different and
unique attachments,
and compatibility
with standard STANAG
magazines to unify it
with other NATO allies.
Currently employed
by the Polish Territorial
Defence Forces, the
MSBS-5.56 is slated
to replace the FB
Beryl as the primary
service rifle for the
Polish Armed Forces.
The standard
5.56-millimeter Grot rifle has a
width of 65 millimeters,
an overall weight between
3.4 and 3.7 kilograms,
a barrel length that
ranges between 254
millimeters and 368 millimeters
according to the variant,
and an overall length
of 980 millimeters with
the stock fully extended.
The Grot boasts an
outstanding rate of fire of
700 to 900 rounds per
minute with a standard
muzzle velocity of 870
meters per second and
an effective firing range
of 500 to 800 meters.
During the initial
testing phase, FB Radom
developed several
variants to pitch the rifle
against different weapons,
such as the Soviet
AKM, and foreign
competitors, such as the HK416,
the SCAR, and the
company’s own FB Beryl.
Like most rifles
today, the Grot variants
were built with full-auto,
3-round burst, and
semi-automatic fire. The
available configurations
of the MSBS GROT
include the MSBS Grot
C in assault rifle
and carbine formats,
accompanied by a
grenade launcher. The
machine gun and
designated marksman
rifle configurations are
absent from production.
Yet, conversion kits
and a caliber conversion
to the 7.62×39-millimeter
are available.
Nevertheless, the Grot
762N marksman rifle
has been slowly rolled
out of the production
lines to replace the
Soviet-made SVD Dragunov
as the army’s sniper
rifle. The 762N comes
in two configurations
comprising either a
20-inch barrel or a
16-inch barrel that
employs the Grot
C’s side-folding stock.
The line-up spans
the MSBS Grot C in
classic and bullpup
configurations,
with plans for
multiple configurations,
including under-barrel
grenade launchers,
machine guns, and
designated marksman rifles.
The Polish military's
adoption of the MSBS
series is of particular
significance, marked by a
specific naming convention.
The Grot designation
now encapsulates various
configurations, barrel
lengths, and
manufacturer-related details.
Notably, the M2
iteration addressed early
production flaws,
introducing enhancements
across several components,
except for the bullpup
configuration, owing to
limited military interest.
The upgrades encompassed
a longer upper receiver,
M-LOK compatible handguard,
reinforced components,
and enhancements to
various crucial parts to
enhance the performance
improvement of the rifle.
70,000 Strong In January 2023,
Polish Deputy Prime
Minister Mariusz Błaszczak
announced the government
had approved the
purchase of over 70,000
Grot carbines for use
with the Polish military.
He also specified the
Grots to be delivered
would be the C16 FB-A2
5.56×45-millimeter
caliber configuration.
During the press
release, the Prime
minister stated:
(QUOTE) “Our needs are
great. We maintain
our goal of a minimum
of 300,000 soldiers
of the Polish Army,
so we can talk about
such a number in
the context of
orders for carbines.”
“Of course, this is not
all because we also
need to have prepared
carbines that will
be the equipment
of reservists. At least
300,000 soldiers of
the Polish Army plus
reservists – this is
the number discussed
when it comes to orders
for GROT carbines”.
The new contract was
valued at approximately
188.65 million dollars.
These new deals come after
an additional delivery
of 28,000 rifles in 2022.
Both procurement contracts
are part of the annexes
in the broader agreement
signed between the Polish
government and Łucznik
Arms Factory in 2020.
Prime Minister Błaszczak
closed the press release
by stating that over
17,000 Grot rifles had been
fielded to the Polish
armed forces as part of
the country’s ongoing
efforts to modernize its
military under its
future soldier military
program dubbed the
Individual Warfare System
Titan or Indywidualny System Walki
Tytan. Chapter 6 Ukrainian Grots
The Polish government was one of
the European countries to provide
Ukraine with military
support and equipment
following Russia’s
unexpected invasion of
its former Cold War
ally in February 2022.
Polish MSBS GROT
assault rifles were part
of the considerable
military supplies provided
to the Ukrainian military
to fend off the enemy
attackers. Since then,
the GROT has proven itself
as an outstanding
assault and Bullpup assault
rifle in the muddy
trenches of Eastern Europe.
During a press release,
Polish Armament Agency
Head Brigadier General
Artur Kuptel said: (QUOTE)
“MSBS GROT carbines
collect very good opinions
among users. Polish
soldiers, both professional
and in territorial
service, appreciate them
primarily for ergonomics
and practical solutions.”
“We also receive favorable
opinions from Ukrainian
soldiers, where the
weapon is often used
in extreme conditions.
Seeing the further
development potential
of these carbines, we
took further steps to
ensure that as many of
them were in the
hands of Polish soldiers.”
Ukrainian forces have
found a new companion
alongside the Western-provided
weapons and their
old, but still reliable,
AK family of rifles.