Why Polish Paratroopers Like Their Homemade Grot Rifles for Air Jumps

What kind of rifle are elite Polish paratroopers jumping into combat with? A relatively new homemade gun that they say offers flexibility and mobility needed at a time when modern warfare is showing that light infantry has a key part to play.

Poland’s 6th Airborne Brigade previously carried the 96 Beryl, a rifle developed by the Polish firearms manufacturer FB Radom in the 1990s.

Now, the brigade is fully armed with FB Radom’s newer MSBS Grot, a family of modular rifles. The gun’s stock can be folded or retracted, making it compact and “good for the jump,” Capt. Bartosz Januszewski told Business Insider during the Lively Sabre 25 exercise in southern Finland last week.

Compact weapons are often preferred by airborne forces and mechanized infantry because they allow troops to move more freely in confined spaces, deploy more rapidly, and react quickly. They can be carried close to the body to avoid snags, and they can be swiftly extended and shouldered.

Januszewski said the airborne brigade received the first MSBS Grot model in 2017. Some of the 6th Airborne are now using the third model, which was handed over in 2022, and new variations are still being developed.

According to the manufacturer, the MSBS Grot fires standard 5.56×45mm NATO cartridges and has a muzzle velocity of 890 meters per second. It can shoot between 700 and 900 rounds a minute and has a range of 500 meters. The gun weighs around 4 kilograms (under 9 pounds) and is just shy of 1,000 mm (38 inches) long with the weapon’s stock fully extended.

Most paratroopers employ holographic weapons sights made by the US company EOTech. The gun can also be equipped with magnifier attachments and infrared lights for night vision.

Januszewski said that Poland prefers to use homemade rifles rather than purchase them from another country, like the US, because it helps grow the local defense industry. It also makes it easier to liaise directly with the company to share feedback and discuss improvements.

Brig. Gen. Michal Strzelecki, the commander of Poland’s 6th Airborne Brigade, told BI during Lively Sabre that not all units in the Polish Army use the MSBS Grot. However, his paratroopers tend to get their hands on newer weapons systems earlier than others across the armed forces.

Though some critics have complained about issues like jamming, the general called it a “very good rifle” and said he’s “quite satisfied” with the weapon.

A Staff Sergeant in the 6th Airborne who participated in the exercise and spoke to BI through a translator on the condition of anonymity said the MSBS Grot is better than the Kalashnikov-style Beryl he was using earlier in his career. He characterized the new rifle as being very user-friendly.

Compared to the earlier Beryls, the Grot offers a more modern, adaptable, and modular rifle that Poland felt better met the demands of 21st-century warfare than Soviet-derived designs. It also strengthened the domestic defense industry.

The MSBS Grot is primarily used by Polish forces, but Warsaw has sent thousands of these rifles to Ukraine to help its neighbor fend off the ongoing Russian invasion. A foreign volunteer BI spoke to earlier this year previously said he’s a “big fan of the Grot.”