During this year's MSPO the Negev 5.56 mm light machine gun will have its debut at the stand of Fabryka Broni (Weapon Factory), a part of the Żołnierz (Soldier) Division of Bumar Group. The first official demonstration of the new design took place before the Kielce fair. In 2011 the weapon will join the Fabryka Broni product range.
The first official presentation of the Negev 5.56 mm light machine gun (LMG) was organised by Bumar Group and Fabryka Broni in a gunnery range outside Warsaw. Invited guests were introduced with details of the new weapon which is going to become part of the product range offered by the Radom-based makers. From the beginning of 2011 Bumar has tried to attract interest of the Polish Army with the new type of intermediate cartridge support weapon manned by a single person, able to replace or complement universal machine guns used by the army so far, such PK/PKM or wz. 2004 Rod.
The presentation stressed that both belt and magazine feed (with the magazine attached vertically, like in an assault rifle) are available. This is important as, should belt ammunition run out, the gunner can continue to provide fire support using standard M16-type magazines. Although currently neither the Beryl nor Mini Beryl can be fed from these, qualification tests for M16 magazine adapters (attached to specially broadened magazine well of Polish assault rifles and carbines) should be completed within a few months, meaning full compatibility at troop level. Moreover, M16-type magazines are going to be the standard feed for the future MSBS-5.56 weapon system developed by Fabryka Broni in cooperation with the WAT (Wojskowa Akademia Techniczna; Military Academy of Technology).
For vast majority of invited guests (including journalists) the display organised by Bumar Group and Fabryka Broni was the first introduction to the Negev LMG
Mr Krzysztof Kozieł from the Radom factory, who displayed the Negev, stressed that, unusually for this class design, it provides stable attachment of optical or optoelectronic aiming devices on a universal rail mount located at the rear of the housing rather than on the housing cover that has to be raised for each loading.
If the light machine gun is accepted for use with the Polish Army that, depending on the size of the order, it should be possible to gradually Polonise the design. Initially Negev is just going to be assembled in Poland, later on, as the numbers of the weapon in the army grow, more and more components can be manufactured in this country. Current agreements say that up to 30% of the total value of the gun can be manufactured in Poland. In reality this means most parts, including barrels of various lengths, except the receiver which requires special welding technology to make.
Subsequently a dynamic show was displayed: an infantry section of four, armed with wz. 96 Beryl assault rifles and Negev light machine gun attacked the enemy and withdrew upon the attack covered by the Israeli support weapon.
After the show the invited guests were able to inspect the Israeli weapon. For most of them this was the first contact with a 5.56 mm LMG. Notably, the display Negev which had earlier been subjected to particularly extensive testing by special troops of the POLSOCOM (DWS) and by other uniformed forces, were specially tested with ammunition from various makers, of varying quality and stored in various conditions (not necessarily the prescribed ones). They have completed all this firing without a single jam.
Photos and film: Remigiusz Wilk