Onet’s lantern
Campaigns aimed at discrediting Polish made weapons are suspected to be funded by foreign arms firms who want to reduce Poland’s market share. Deputy Defense Minister Marcin Ociepa told PAP that the Onet publication about the Cave carbines seeks to tilt competitive balance away from Polish arms production.
Public discussion and defense ministry response
In a dialogue with PAP, Ociepa commented on Onet’s Wednesday article about the Cave carbines produced by Łucznik in Radom, now standard issue for the Polish armed forces. Some of these carbines have also been supplied to the Ukrainian army as part of its defense against the Russian invasion.
The piece cited a note reportedly sent to the commander of the Special Forces Component after joint Polish–Ukrainian exercises. It claimed several defects and flaws in the carbines, including slow jamming, problems with barrel and sight mounting, and concerns about balance and accuracy.
Ociepa expressed disbelief that Onet would continue to question Polish firearms, noting that public feedback from users has been positive.
– said the deputy head of the Ministry of National Defense when queried by PAP about the matter.
“This design is very good”
The deputy minister added that any military system undergoes ongoing analysis, testing, and refinement, with the best equipment emerging from a long process of continuous improvement.
Of course there are comments about Grotto; they do not differ from the standard updates seen in later versions of the carbine, which reinforces the belief that this design is very good.
Because the design is strong, it remains competitive. He noted that other global arms manufacturers, especially in Western Europe, might want to push Grot out of the market. He described the situation as an attempt to leverage the Ukraine conflict for business purposes and urged a strong response.
Ociepa observed that the Grotto carbines would serve not only Polish soldiers but could also become notable exports for Poland.
Arrowheads, like Pioruns and similar weapons, have achieved export success and performed well in Ukraine, yet campaigns to undermine this progress are appearing. He treated Onet’s next publication as an attempt to influence the weapon’s standing on the world market.
Onet’s coverage about alleged defects of the Grot carbine, the original name of the MSBS-5.56, also referenced claims about improper procedures during early 2021 testing. The portal alleged that after tests the carbine was deemed so defective that it could threaten soldiers.
Fabryka Broni Łucznik in Radom responded by questioning the reliability of the article, raising doubts about objectivity and intent. The company highlighted that any design carries flaws that are addressed during development in close collaboration with the military. In January 2022, a process related to protecting Łucznik’s personal rights began.
“Sagittarius” replies
Following the portal’s article, the Ministry of National Defense said Cave underwent testing by the manufacturer and future users before mass production, and it met all required qualifications under a special commission. Łucznik also issued a statement on its website responding to Onet’s story.
Fabryka Broni Łucznik – Radom sp.z oo stated it was not aware of the note addressed to DKWS described in the piece and could not confirm whether the described training took place, its purpose, or its content. The company emphasized that the noted defects were related to inspections mandated by the equipment manual and did not reflect critical safety issues.
The article suggested that participants in training may have skipped a preliminary weapon inspection before firing, missed missing components, or failed to align the sight mounts. The company argued that such claims were not credible and noted that special forces personnel cannot comment on their service experiences publicly.
By the end of February the Ministry announced a new appendix to the current contract signed in July 2020. The amendment increases deliveries of MSBS GROT carbines for the Polish Armed Forces to almost 88,000 by the end of 2026, bringing the total order to about 184,000 and the contract value to roughly 2.1 billion PLN gross. The previous amendment had suggested a need for at least 300,000 carbines for the army and reservists.
In 2022 a portion of Grots were transferred to Ukrainian forces as part of Poland’s aid package. Some Arrowheads were also sold to the US Special Forces and to an undisclosed East African country.
The 5.56 mm Grot assault rifle, created by Fabryka Broni Łucznik in Radom with the Military University of Technology, originated from the Modular Small Arms System project under the TYTAN Advanced Individual Combat Systems program. Its modular design allows rapid adaptation to user requirements, with configurations available in classic and bullpup layouts. The first MSBS Cave releases occurred in 2017 for the Territorial Defense Forces and, from 2019, for operational troops.
kk/PAP
Source: wPolityce