Radom Tantal/Beryl

     Notes: The Russians had two policies towards their Warsaw Pact allies and some other countries – “You can buy your AKs directly from us, or you can buy a license for production in your own country, and pay through the nose for it.”  The Czechs bucked both of these by designing and building most of their own small arms, and the Hungarians later also built several of their own assault rifles, light machineguns, and pistols.  By the late 1970s, the Poles too were tired of Moscow’s dictates and decided to start their own program for producing a domestic assault rifle – the Tantal project.  The project kicked off in earnest in 1981, though it was not deemed fit for service until 1989.  This rifle also produced a short assault rifle variant, the Onyx, and the current Polish standard assault rifle, the 5.56mm Beryl.

     The Wz.88 Tantal was the Polish replacement for the AK-74, first appearing in Polish service in 1990.  At first, the design work was based directly on the AKS-74, but new firing mechanisms were eventually used, a new buttstock, four selector positions on two selector levers (the large characteristic AK lever is used only to switch the rifle to safe), and the gas system modified to prevent the bolt cover from falling off when firing rifle grenades (a persistent problem with the AK-74 series).  It may fire Polish or other Pact rifle grenades, as well as mount the GP-25 or PALLAD.  Tantal production had barely gotten off the ground when the first cracks appeared in the Warsaw Pact and the Iron Curtain in general, and the Gdansk shipyard riots and the subsequent elections led the General Staff of Polish Armed Forces to put a hold on Warsaw Pact-caliber weapons production.  The Tantal became a stopgap rifle until the Tantal could be rebuilt into a 5.56mm rifle, especially after Poland became the first former Warsaw Pact country to join NATO.  Construction of the Tantal included a large amount of polymer and updated versions of steel stampings, along with some light alloy parts – the Tantal looks more like an AK “Hundred Series” design than the traditional AK series.  The barrel is longer than that of the AKM, being 17 inches in length. The folding stock is of a totally different design (often called the “fire poker” stock due to its strange shape), and no fixed stock version was designed.

     Parallel with the development of the Tantal was the design of a short assault rifle to fill the same role of the Russian AKS-74U, called the Wz.89 Onyx.  The barrel is 9 inches in length. Construction of the Onyx is largely the same as the Tantal, and there were even more differences between the Onyx and the AKS-74U -- a more-efficient muzzle brake, the addition of a 3-round burst mechanism, and an extended rear sight base that can be used to attach Eastern or Western optics.  The folding butt is also of a different design, borrowed from the folding stock of East German variants of the AKMS.  The Onyx did not survive the transition to the 5.56mm NATO caliber, though it is also still being shopped around on the export market.

     The Wz.96 Beryl is a modernized version of the Tantal that fires 5.56mm NATO ammunition instead of 5.45mm Kalashnikov.  The top of the receiver has a sight rail that can mount any NATO or Pact optics.  The barrel is lengthened to 18 inches. The folding stocks are stronger than those used on the Tantal or Onyx, made from twin steel struts encased in shrink-shaped plastic shaped in roughly the same shape as a standard stock, and equipped with rubber buttplate (not a pad); it is similar in design to the folding stock of the Galil.) Most of the rest of the rifle is made from stamped steel, except for polymer parts such as the pistol grip and handguard.  The other furniture such as the handguard is made from gray polymer.  The Beryl can mount either the GP-25 or Pallad grenade launchers, or use the M-203PI or TGS, as well as use Polish rifle grenades or Western bullet-trap grenades.  They can use most Western and Eastern optics and accessories, being equipped with a Polish modification of the MIL-STD-1913 rail, atop the receiver.  Flip-up iron sights at the rear and a hooded front post sight are also available.  The kbs version is the standard assault rifle; the kbk is a short-barreled assault rifle.  The kbk is more commonly referred to as the Mini-Beryl, and it replaced the Onyx.  It uses a barrel only slightly more than half the length of the kbs (9.3 inches), tipped with an abbreviated (and some say, rather ineffective) flash suppressor.  The optics mounting rail on the receiver is shorter than that of the kbs, but closer in design to the MIL-STD-1913 rail and therefore able to use a wider variety of optics and accessories.

     A new version of the Beryl, the Wz.04, was introduced and was already being issued to Polish troops.  The Mini-Beryl can still use rifle grenades.

     In Iraq, Polish troops started equipping their Wz.96s with non-standard features, ranging from Romanian-made foregrips to MIL-STD-1913 rails atop the receiver and on the sides and bottom of the handguard to aftermarket reflex and ACOG-type sights, aftermarket finishes, and even more.  At the same time, several deficiencies in the Beryl’s design were being noted, such as the heat-absorbent qualities of the stock, the poor flash suppressor, the sling (which was often replaced with US-built 3-point slings bought as US PXs in Iraq), the cumbersome safety/selector system, and the non-folding backup iron sights.  This led to the Wz.04 Beryl, which had most of those improvements.  For game purposes, it is identical to the original Beryl. (A feature which fell by the wayside quickly was the translucent plastic magazines – they proved to be too brittle and reflective of sunlight).  A newer version, the Wz.07, has since been introduced; the differences include a stock that both folds and telescopes, a new, tougher finish, and a Brugger & Thomet-designed muzzle brake. The stock was improved so as not to absorb heat like the original stock. (These improvements were applied to all versions of the Beryl.)

     In 2006, another version of the Beryl was designed – the mid-sized Wz.06 Beryl Commando, informally called the “Midi-Beryl.”  The barrel is slightly-over 14.75 inches long, and the stock is not the same as that of the Wz.07 Beryl – it is a US-built Lepers M-4-type telescoping stock which has six positions and is attacked to a folding mechanism.  It was designed specifically at the request of the 1st Commando Special Regiment of Lubliniec, but apparently is not in production or issue at this time.

     Twilight 2000 Notes:  The Tantal equipped about a quarter of Polish forces at the start of the Twilight War, and was definitely preferred over the AK-74.  Tantals in the Twilight 2000 timeline do not have the ability to use Western optics. The Wz.96 Beryl was originally produced for export in the Twilight 2000 timeline, but during the Twilight War were used by Polish special operations forces for use behind the enemy lines, in order to use captured NATO ammunition.  Nonetheless, the Beryl is a rather rare weapon in the Twilight 2000 timeline. The Onyx was a fairly common sight among Polish troops, particularly higher-ranking NCOs and lower-ranking officers.  In addition, special ops troops and bodyguard details like the Onyx.

Weapon

Ammunition

Weight

Magazines

Price

Wz.88 Tantal

5.45mm Kalashnikov

3.4 kg

30, 40, 75

$701

Wz.96 kbs Beryl

5.56mm NATO

3.35 kg

20, 30

$787

Wz.96 kbk Beryl

5.56mm NATO

3 kg

20, 30

$697

Wz.07 kbs Beryl

5.56mm NATO

3.69 kg

20, 30

$841

Wz.07 kbk Beryl

5.56mm NATO

3.3 kg

20, 30

$751

Wz.06 Beryl Commando

5.56mm NATO

3.47 kg

20, 30

$807

Wz.89 Onyx

5.45mm Kalashnikov

2.9 kg

30, 40, 75

$694

 

Weapon

ROF

Damage

Pen

Bulk

SS

Burst

Range

Wz.88 Tantal

3/5

3

1-Nil

4/6

2

4/6

48

Wz.96 kbs Beryl

3/5

3

1-Nil

4/6

2

4/6

47

Wz.96 kbk Beryl

3/5

2

1-Nil

3/4

2

4/6

16

Wz.07 kbs Beryl

3/5

3

1-Nil

4/6

2

3/4

47

Wz.07 kbk Beryl

3/5

2

1-Nil

3/4

2

3/4

16

Wz.06 Beryl Commando

3/5

3

1-Nil

4/5

2

¾

35

Wz.89 Onyx

3/5

2

1-Nil

3/4

2

4/6

16

 

Radom AKM/AKMS

     Notes: This is a locally-produced version of the Russian AKM and AKMS assault rifles.  They are basically the same as the standard AKM and AKMS, but the Radom version can also mount the Polish Pallad grenade launcher, the Radom version can mount both Eastern-Bloc and Western optics, the handguard and stock (of the fixed-butt version) are made from plastic, and the folding-stock version uses a different style of stock.  The Radom AKM and AKMS were used by Polish forces until the Poles replaced it with the AK-74.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: There were still a fair amount of these rifles in the hands of the Polish Army at the start of the Twilight War, and most of the ones that were in storage were passed out to units raised later in the war and local militia units.  Radom AKMs and AKMSs in the Twilight 2000 world do not have the ability to use Western optics.

     Merc 2000 Notes: Most of these weapons were sold, both legally and illegally, around the world after 2000.

Weapon

Ammunition

Weight

Magazines

Price

Radom AKM

7.62mm Kalashnikov

3.165 kg

30

$807

Radom AKMS

7.62mm Kalashnikov

3.165 kg

30

$827

 

Weapon

ROF

Damage

Pen

Bulk

SS

Burst

Range

Radom AKM

5

4

2-Nil

6

4

9

46

Radom AKMS

5

4

2-Nil

5/6

4

9

46