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HS Produkt VHS (Visenamjenska Hrvatska Strojnica)

2009 MODERN

History

The VHS assault rifle originated in the Homeland War/Croatian War of Independence (1991-1995). The conflict saw loyal government elements against socialist Yugoslavia and accompanying Serb troops. The bloody campaign brought Croatia to victory, gaining national independence while preserving the borders it wished to preserve. During the conflict, the world-famous Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle was carefully modified into a more manageable "bull" form (the bullfight weapon system is nothing but a firearm that includes a magazine fed The action is behind the pistol grip and trigger unit). Bullpup firearms, especially assault rifles, have some advantages in this area due to their overall more compact design compared to conventionally configured rifle systems.

This allows for greater portability, better close-range accuracy, lower overall carry weight, and utilizes all available interior space in the shoulder rest. While many firearms continue to use the traditional configuration - action is centered on the front of the pistol grip and trigger assembly, and the magazine feed is mounted on the front - more modern firearm designs have emerged using bullpup configurations - the most notable of which are The likely one is a 1979 Austrian Steyr AUG, which, depending on the barrel, converts fairly easily into an assault rifle, submachine gun, and light machine gun, leaving the rest of the frame largely unaffected.

Croatian gunsmiths tried this modification on the fabled AK-47 with limited success. However, many other promising prototypes were produced during development, although none of these prototypes made any progress. A new prototype emerged in 2003, and the Croatian Army urged it to be developed to meet the demand for a NATO-friendly battle rifle - specifically using the widely accepted standard 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge.

Design work continued until 2005, when the rifle was delivered to Croatian Army authorities. After an evaluation period, VHS was officially selected for mass production, and the first batch of about 50 quantitative orders was placed at the end of 2007. After the US invasion in 2001, these first rifles were shipped with Croatian troops as part of the NATO coalition's theater of operations in Afghanistan.

This valuable field combat experience was used to further complete the VHS design. When fully operational, the VHS will replace all retiring Soviet-era Kalashnikovs.

Since its inception, the VHS range has been manufactured by the Croatian enterprise HS Produkt (formerly IM Metal), a private defence contractor based in Karlovac.

Visually, the VHS bears a striking resemblance to the French FAMAS - an assault rifle design from 1978 that also focused on bullpup configurations, while accommodating 5.56x45mm NATO cartridges. Like the FAMAS, the VHS has a long carry handle attached to the front and rear of the receiver. The grip also includes an integrated aperture sight.

The pull handle is located in the handle loop on top of the receiver. Consisting of two main parts - an upper and a lower - the receiver has a short front-end grip section in front of the trigger assembly to facilitate a strong two-handed grip. The pistol grip is slightly angled back and ribbed for a secure grip.

The trigger is curved and protected by an elongated trigger guard. Shoulder rests are slightly enlarged and fixed for desired movements and inner workings. The ignition process is said to be gas operation using a "punch" closed gas system with rotating bolts. The rate of fire was specified at 750 rounds per minute and the muzzle velocity was 3,120 feet per second. The magazine feed is located under the shoulder rest (behind the pistol grip), and the ejection port is located on the right side of the frame.

The barrel protrudes a short distance from the gun body and is covered by the muzzle attachment. The base model of the VHS-D assault rifle (available variants are described below) has an overall length of 765mm and a barrel length of 500mm.

In addition to the sights provided as standard, optional optics for special firepower are also available. The construction of the rifle includes metal and polymer parts.

The VHS was also designed to fire rifle grenades from its barrel, while also being equipped for use with a grenade launcher - presumably mounted under the front end. All told, the VHS weighs 7.5 pounds and is 30 inches long. VHS accepts 20- and 30-round magazine counts in STANAG format.

At this time, the VHS system existed in two different production forms - the basic VHS-D assault rifle and the VHS-K carbine. In the latter case, VHS is done in a shorter 400 m length. This installation makes the barrel length of the basic VHS case much shorter overall, making it ideal for use in close quarter combat (CQB) or for combatants such as paratroopers or vehicle crews.

Performance specs differ only slightly between the two, with the Model K firing at a high rate of 760 rounds per minute and a lower muzzle velocity of 3,080 feet per second. The VHS-K weighs 7.3 pounds and is 26 inches long.