Je li potpuno nemoguće da se HS Product javi na natječaj? Znam da nisu neke šanse, ali kako to funkcionira? Jesu li ti natječaji pozivni?
Trebali bi da mogu da se jave na konkurs. Ako zanemarimo medjunarodnu politku i korupciju, meni se opet cini da je VHS poprilicno skupa puska, i da ce je to kociti.
Prije 4-5 godina sam razgovarao sa jednim francuskim narednikom (padobranac) o projektu Felin i on je tada pricao o njegovim iskustvima sa FAMAS-om. Generalno, on je bio zadovoljan sa puskom ali je tada spomenuo da ce puska uskoro biti zamijenjena. Kao najvjerovatniji izbor je spomenuo HK G36.
France has launched its programme to replace the FAMAS as the French armed forces principle assault rifle in one of the biggest tenders for individual small arms in Europe.
The French procurement agency (the DGA), announced a tender on 16 May for 90,000 assault rifles, chambered in 5.56 mm x 45 NATO ammunition, under the Arme Individuelle Future (AIF) programme.
France no longer possesses the industrial capability to manufacture assault rifles after the Manufacture d'Armes de Saint-Etienne (MAS) factory closed in 2002 following the completion of FAMAS production in 2000. Accordingly, France will have to buy in a foreign design. Possible bidders include the Belgian FN Herstal FN SCAR-L, the Thales Australia F90, the German Heckler & Koch HK416A5, the Italian Beretta ARX160, and the Czech CZ 805 BREN.
France will be one of the first countries to replace its first generation 5.56 mm assault rifles with a new type of individual small arm. The FAMAS F1 rifle was introduced on 24 July 1979 after 10 years of development. The French armed forces possess about 400,000 FAMAS F1/G1 assault rifles, that will eventually be replaced by the AIF.
The DGA tender calls for 45,000 assault rifles (AIF standard) and 45,000 carbines (AIF courte), alongside accessories, including under-barrel 40 mm grenade launchers, maintenance kits, spare parts, training, and technical documentation.
Offers must be submitted for the tender by 26 June, with the DGA planning to sign a contract for the AIF programme in December 2016. Up to five bidders will be considered, and they are required to provide samples of both versions of their assault rifles, accessories, and ammunition at their own cost.
Manufacturing or assembly of the assault rifle, or its key elements, must take place within the European Union or the European Economic Area. The manufacturer is expected to deliver 16,000 assault rifles annually, and should have averaged EUR80 million (USD109 million) of revenue in each of the last three years.
The AIF standard variant is required to be capable of integration with components of the FELIN future soldier system and to be able to fire rifle grenades.
The French Army already operates some additional assault rifles, purchased as urgent operational requirements for use in Afghanistan. The first, was a purchase of H&K G36KV carbines, equipped with the AG40 grenade launcher for deployment as a squad support weapon. Additionally, more than 2,200 H&K HK416 and HK417 rifles have been purchased for the elite Brigade des Forces Speciales Terre (BFST) and the Commandement des Operations Speciales (COS) from 2008. French special forces also possess small numbers of the FN SCAR-L.
The tender also includes delivery of ammunition: 38 million 5.56 mm x 45 NATO training cartridges; and 92,000 40 mm x 46 NATO low velocity grenades; 51,000 dual purpose anti-personnel/anti-tank; 13,000 smoke; and 21,000 training rounds.
06/18/2014 - EUROSATORY 2014: the Croatian ALAN export agency showcased the HS Produkt VHS-2 bull-pup assault rifle in 5.56x45mm NATO caliber
Citat:Headquartered in the Croatian town of Karlovac, the HS Produkt company spent the last decade to conauer itself a solid share of the global civilian and military pistols market with the launch of a semi-automatic, polymer-framed, struiker-fired pistols spawned in the late 1990s with the early HS2000 model. Ever since, the baseline project evolved in a plethora of variants distibuted by the US-based Springfield Armory LLC. company as the XD, XDm and XDs lines, currently regarded as some of the world's finest handguns.
The Croatian company however hasn't forgot how in its early days − when it was known as IM Metal − it provided an important contribution to the struggle of the then newly-founded Croatian Armed Forces during the Country's War of Independence from Yugoslavia. With such a strong military production heritage in mind, and at the end of a long development phase, the Company launched the VHS (Višenamjenska Hrvatska Strojnica, "Croatian multirole assault rifle") in 2008; the sleek, lightweight 5.56x45mm NATO bull-pup rifle was subsequently adopted by the Croatian Armed Forces as a replacement for the formerly-issued military rifles, rainging from older Yugoslavian AKM variants to other imported models procured either during the War of Independence or procured later as a stopgap.
Although technically sound, the VHS bull-pup rifle was criticized by some operators for its ergonomics, and requests and suggestions for improvement came from the Croatian Army; these requests were answered in late 2013, as HS Produkt officially introduced the improved VHS-2 model at the ASDA exhibition in Split. The rifle was on stand in the Paris - nord Villepinte Exhibition Center at the 2014 edition of the EUROSATORY expo, showcased by Agencija ALAN, the Croatian State military export agency.
Just like the earlier version, the VHS-2 bull-pup assault rifle is manufactured out of metal and high-strenght polymer, and is based upon a tappet-style indirect gas impingment system; it is available with 410mm and 500mm barrels, and feeds through a proprietary, detachable 30-rounds magazines patterned after the Heckler & Koch G36 mag. Improvements from the baseline variant are however conspicuous: the handguard has been redesigned, and the top carrying handle was replaced by a Picatinny rail for optical gunsights which also hosts the factory front and rear sights and protects the ambidextrously-operable cocking lever. The earlier FAMAS-style fire selector, previously located inside the trigger guard and right in front of the trigger itself, was relocated in an ambidextrous position right over the pistol grip, so that the trigger guard remains zide and empty for more comfortable handling when using gloves. Last, but not least, the buttstock and cheekpiece have been made adjustable to suit the individual build and equipment of each soldier − a unique feature in a bull-pup rifle − and a double ejection system allows quick shifting from left-handed to right-handed spent cases ejection, so that the user will be able to quickly adapt the rifle to better exploit available covers for superior protection when engaging hostiles.
