Industry
“Ceremonial” MSBS Carbines For The Polish Army
Fot. MSWiA 
Tim Peake otwiera Electric Propulsion Integration Centre. Fot. Thales UK. 
Agreement related to procurement of the 5.56 mm ceremonial carbines, based on the MSBS weapons system, has been concluded in Radom. The weapon is now going to be purchased for the units of the Representative Battalion of the Polish Army (Honor Guard Battalion), acting under the jurisdiction of the Warsaw Garrison Command. Thus, this marks the first agreement, concerning procurement of the new generation rifles for the Polish Armed Forces. MSBS carbine, in its combat variant, will constitute the main weapon of the Tytan future soldier system which is currently under development.
The document pertaining the procurement was signed by and between Edward Migdal, President of the Board of the Radom Arms Factory (FB “Łucznik” Radom), and Col. Marek Chojnacki, Chief of the Armament Inspectorate’s Armament Chief department. According to the agreement, 150 examples of the ceremonial weapons are expected to be acquired.
5.56 ceremonial carbine has been developed by the Łucznik Radom Factory, in collaboration with the Military University of Technology. During the works, close collaboration was established with the Warsaw Garrison Command, since the weapon was designed in order to replace the post-soviet Model 1945 SKS ceremonial weapons in the Polish Army’s ceremonial units. The history of the SKS rifle dates back to the World War 2. The official presentation of the ceremonial carbine took place on 1st July 2014, during the opening ceremony related to the new headquarters of the Radom-based arms manufacturer.
The Representative Battalion of the Polish Army, for the first time in history, will have Polish ceremonial weaponry at its disposal. Up until now, the unit has always been using German or Soviet rifles.
After the agreement was signed, Col. Marek Chojnacki representing the Armament Inspectorate noted that the tender, the aim of which was to realize procurement of the carbines, was conducted in a flawless manner. Chojnacki also stressed the fact that the contractor was able to meet the expected short deadlines. Colonel expressed his hope that implementation of the agreement will also proceed in a smooth manner too. The 150 examples of the new weapons are expected to be received until 30th June 2016.
5.56 mm (.223) ceremonial carbine is a derivative of the MSBS Carbine. The weapon uses solely blank cartridges. In comparison with the pre-requisite weapon, the MSBS Carbine, the ceremonial variant features a 508 mm long barrel and a longer stock. The magazine has a capacity of 10 rounds, while the weapon is equipped with a fixed, reinforced butt. As a result of using the modular structure, which is a peculiar feature of the MSBS weapon system, the ceremonial variant may be, without any problems, transformed into a standard combat weapon.
The ceremonial carbine is a non-automatic firearm. All of the reloading procedures are carried out by the user of the weapon, manually. The basic difference between the combat variant and the ceremonial weapon is seen in a special barrel module, allowing the user of the ceremonial weapon only to utilize the blank ammunition.
MSBS system carbines will become the basic armament for the Polish “Tytan” future soldier suite. The system is also going to include the new Polish PR-15 Ragun pistol, utilizing the 9x19 Parabellum ammunition. MSBS Carbine is also going to replace the AK assault rifles, as well as – in a longer run – the wz. 96 Beryl weapons. Modular structure of the weapon makes it possible to create several configurations, including a basic carbine, carbine coupled with a 40 mm grenade launcher, light machine gun and a sniper rifle.