On the 22nd of December, Polish Straz Graniczna (Border Guard) will accept the last of this year’s deliveries from Fabryka Broni. Two hundred seventy of wz. 96C Mini Beryl subcarabines will be handed to Border Patrol officers. Mini Beryl fires 5,56×45 mm ammunition. The weapons were procured as a part of modernisation program for Police, Border Guard, Fire Service and Government Protection Bureau.
Border Patrol plans to replace the AKM/AKMS 7,62×39 mm rifles with the new weapon, chambered in 5,56×45 NATO ammunition. The guards chose a handy, short and efficient wz. 96C Mini Beryl with 235-mm (9 1/4 in.) barrel / Photo: Pawel Scibiorek
In the first half of 2016, Border Guard purchased and tested a number of Beryl rifles with 475-mm barrel. Later the same year, a batch of 235-mm barrel models was delivered as well. In the end, the short variant was chosen as the main personal weapon for Straz Graniczna and will replace currently used 7,62×39 mm AKM/AKMS rifles.
Border Guard plans to spend 46,98 mln PLN (over 10 mln EUR) on modernizing their weapons and equipment by the end of 2020. Procurement plans include 1500 semi-automatic, 9×19 mm pistols, 40 of 9×19 mm SMG’s and 4420 5,56×45 mm rifles.
Increased procurement of weapons, including automatic variants, is a direct result of the situation in Ukraine. Since 2015, Border Guard trains intensively with army-derived weapons such as PKM machine guns and AKM/AKMS rifles.