HS Produkt VHS

The VHS (Croatian: Višenamjenska Hrvatska Strojnica—"multifunctional Croatian machine gun") is a 5.56×45mm NATO bullpup assault rifle designed and manufactured by HS Produkt of Croatia. The VHS rifle was first introduced at the 2007 iKA exhibition, the annual Croatian innovation display that takes place in the city of Karlovac.^[5] The development was carried on following a request from the Croatian Army for a new infantry rifle to update the individual equipment to NATO standards.

A new and improved version of the VHS rifle, known as the VHS-2, was introduced in April 2013.

History

Development

The development of the new assault rifle began in 1992, during the Croatian War of Independence, when HS Produkt (then called IM Metal) created a bullpup variant of the 7.62 mm Kalashnikov assault rifle.^[1][6] This rifle had a number of flaws, partly caused by limited technological capabilities of IM Metal, but provided a valuable learning experience for the company.^[1][6] A delayed blowback model was tested in the mid-1990s, but the results were still not satisfactory, and it was superseded by a design similar to the M16 rifle.^[6] More prototypes followed in 1996, 1999 and 2004.^[1]

The development cycle that ultimately led to the current version of the rifle started circa 2003.^[6] A new prototype, externally quite similar to the French FAMAS, was publicly announced in 2005 and presented to the Croatian Minister of Defense Berislav Rončević.^[5][6][7][8] However, the difference between the production model that followed and the 2004 prototype is more than 90%.^[1]

Evaluation and adoption

Croatian soldier armed with a VHS-D rifle during a training exercise.

On November 19, 2007, the Croatian Ministry of Defence placed an order for an experimental batch of 50 rifles to be tested by the Croatian contingent then deployed in Afghanistan within the ISAF. Other nations, including Kuwait^[9] and Venezuela^[10] have shown interest in acquiring the rifle.

On November 24, 2008 HS Produkt introduced the final version of VHS assault rifle. The first 40 rifles have been produced for testing. After initial testing phase order for 1000 rifles was made. In 2009 additional batch for 2000 rifles was made to enter service with Croatian Army and by the end of 2012, and as of 2013 Croatian army had 3600 VHS rifles in service, with final batch of 2000 rifles to be delivered to Croatian military by end 2014. Croatian Army requirement calls for 17000 brand new assault rifles, but with introduction of VHS-2 rifle, it is highly likely Croatian Army will transfer its full order on to that rifle. A long term Croatian Army requirement calls for 50 000 Assault Rifles, ensuring a long term production of VHS-2 rifles even if no export orders are ever made, although US Department of Defense already made an order for 500 VHS rifles, with future orders highly likely.^[11]

On May 12, 2009, the Croatian Minister of Defence Branko Vukelić confirmed the positive conclusions of a series of torture tests and on May 15 officially signed a contract with HS product for the acquisition of 1,000 rifles (both variants) for an average price of 10,700 Croatian kunas (c. €1450) each. As of 2015, Croatian Army is using 7,000 VHS rifles.^[12]

Design

The VHS-D rifle is 765 mm (30.1 in) long, with a 500 mm (20 in) barrel.^[4] the whole rifle body is a monoblock construction made from high-impact polymer.^[13] Externally, it strongly resembles the French FAMAS rifle, but both its functioning mechanism and disassembling mode are quite different.^[14] The VHS-K is a carbine variant with a shorter 410 mm (16 in) barrel, resulting in overall length of 665 mm (26.2 in).

The early project won the iKA innovation prize for their interesting feature.

Some characteristics of the rifle were not revealed to the public early on and so some misconceptions occurred through the development period: there was word about a sort of recoil buffer in the form of a venting system that recovered part of the gases generated by the shot and pushed it back in a space located behind the bolt; during the cycle, the bolt would thus "bounce" on a sort of "gas cushion" that acted as a buffer, dramatically reducing recoil. That provoked more than a disappointment as the production-stage VHS was reported to operate in a much more conventional manner no longer utilizing this buffering system.^[7] According to the project deposited at the European Patent Office however it seems that such voices originated from a misconception of related data, i.e. merging in one two different features: a forced air ventilation system similar to the one in Pecheneg machine gun and a mechanical buffer reductor, similar in conception but not identical to the one used in Ultimax 100, a weapon Croatia used in Croatian War of Independence and still has in its reserve inventory. The same patent states also that Vehesica works neither through direct gas impingement nor through a short or long stroke piston, but through a 'tappet' type of closed gas system much like the FN SCAR. There it was also another precedent design sporting some of said features, but it was rejected after the first real testing, so it is also possible that the "gas cushion" was instead a feature of that former model.

Confusion on the VHS's operating system was from several changes to the type of system used through its development. The first models used a Kalashnikov-style long-stroke piston, which was changed in 1999 to a lever delayed blowback system from the FAMAS. The next year, it was changed to a direct gas impingement system with a forced ventilation feature that formed a pneumatic cushion behind the bolt. The VHS was patented in that form in 2000 giving the impression of a "gas cushion" feature. That model was publicly known up to 2005. In 2004, the final and current operating system of the VHS was changed to a gas-operated, short-stroke piston system.^[15]

Also the recent Croatian combat experience influenced the rifle project: VHS is probably the only modern assault rifle to have standard integral sights for using both a grenade launcher and rifle grenades.

When the VHS went through service life testing it fired 50,000 rounds without suffering any main parts breaking. The barrel has a birdcage flash suppressor and can fire rifle grenades. Like the FAMAS, it has sliding grenade boom guide and grenade high-angle launching sight to aim when the rifle is turned on its side, but the sight is mounted on the underside of the carrying handle on the VHS instead of under it. The rifle and carbine have different gas regulators, both with three setting changed by pushing in and turning 120 degrees: normal; high (larger opening for weak ammunition); and cut-off (for rifle grenades).^[15]

One of the problems with the VHS is poor ergonomics. The fire selector has three positions for safe, semi, and automatic fire with no 3-round burst option. Production model rifles have the selector inside the trigger guard. Changing firing modes is difficult as the crank must be rotated a long distance before either firing mode is selected. It is also for right-handed use only; the receiver can only eject shells out the right side and cases leave toward the rear sharply. There is even the chance of spent cases hitting the shooter's arm depending on elbow positioning. These are unusual features, as the non-reciprocating cocking handle is located centrally under the carrying handle and is flexible to be pulled from either side.^[15]

Models presented in 2008 showed the VHS being STANAG magazine compatible. This was changed shortly after to accept HK G36 magazines. The reason was because the Croatian military has more G36s (which the VHS will replace) than M16-type rifles.^[15]

VHS-2

A new assault rifle known as the VHS-2 was shown to the public for the first time in April 2013, during the Adriatic Sea Defense & Aerospace (ASDA) exhibition in Split, Croatia. The new weapon is an improved version of the VHS rifle which retains its bullpup design, caliber and barrel length, as well as the internal mechanism, but introduces a new, more conventional fire selector, a redesigned carrying handle, an adjustable-length buttstock, and an ambidextrous cartridge casings ejection system that can be configured for either right or left side ejection in less than a minute.^{[16][17][18][19]}

Users

•  Croatia^[12]
•  Iraq^[19]
•  Iraqi Kurdistan^[19]
•  Syria^[20]
•  France For testing purposes several hundred rifles were sold. ^[21]
•  United States - Purchased 500 VHS-1 for testing and training in 2012 and 250 VHS-2 for testing and training in 2015.^[22]

See also

• List of bullpup firearms
• List of assault rifles

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to HS Produkt VHS.

• Agencija Alan—Croatian arms exporter
• Eduard Šoštarić (22 November 2008). "Hrvatske jurišne puške kreću na testiranje u HV" [Croatian assault rifles commence testing in the Croatian Army] (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 2009-01-18. 
• Predstavljena nova hrvatska jurišna puška (Croatian)
• Hrvatski VHS: Laka jurišna puška ulazi u vojni arsenal (Croatian)
• Eduard Šoštarić (20 December 2007). "Hrvatski bum vojne industrije" [Croatian military industry boom] (in Croatian). Nacional (weekly). Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2012. 
• VHS RIFLE (WIPO patent search)
• VHS ASSAULT RIFLE (WIPO patent search)
• Modern Firearms
• Premiera chorwackiego VHS (Polish)
• HS Produkt VHS 2 on YouTube (Croatian)

Bullpup firearms
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Carbines	AGM-1 L22 Thorneycroft
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Submachine guns	FN P90 IWI X95 SMG JS 9 mm QCW-05 Steyr AUG Para Steyr AUG A3 Para XS
Handguns	Bushmaster Arm Pistol Remington XP-100
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Shotguns	ENARM Pentagun Franchi mod .410 Heckler & Koch HK CAWS High Standard Model 10 Kel-Tec KSG Kushnapup KS-23K Mossberg 500/590 Bullpup NeoStead 2000 Pancor Jackhammer UTAS UTS-15
Other	ADS amphibious rifle S&T Daewoo K11 Special Purpose Individual Weapon XM25 CDTE XM29 OICW