The Army of the Czech Republic wants to purchase new weapons without a tender by extending the existing contract and thus providing the soldiers with a modern platform that will accompany them for decades to come. It should be more than 16,000 BREN 2 assault rifles, over 21,000 pistols and almost 2,000 grenade launchers.

The CZ 806 BREN 2 assault rifles are very popular among soldiers. Compared to the previous version, they have better ergonomics, are generally more user-friendly and provide greater shooting comfort. Of course, they use 5.56 calibre ammunition, which is the same as what other NATO members use. 

Picture: It should be more than 16,000 BREN 2 assault rifles, over 21,000 pistols and almost 2,000 grenade launchers. | army.cz

"The soldiers are in dire need of small arms. The general contract should have been signed almost a year ago, but there was a delay due to competition. I have informed the government about this contract again because the maximum number of requested pieces had increased. Therefore, the price increased as well, but the value of individual weapons remained the same,” explained Minister of Defence Lubomír Metnar.

Given the long postponement of the contract, it became apparent that the needs of the Army of the Czech Republic have increased. The general contract will now work with the limit of over 39,000 rifles and pistols, almost 5,000 more, more precisely 13 % more than originally planned. The value per piece, however, remains the same, so the total estimated price will only increase by 10 % to CZK 2.35 billion excluding VAT, which is the usual price in place and time according to an expert.

Picture: Firing from CZ 806 BREN | Česká zbrojovka a.s. Uherský Brod

The Ministry of Defence will be able to purchase up to more than 16,000 BREN 2 assault rifles, over 21,000 pistols and almost 2,000 grenade launchers. The general contract should be signed in April 2020 and it will allow the Ministry of Defence to purchase weapons as needed up until 2025.  The commission builds on the contracts from 2010-16, when almost 40,000 small arms were purchased from the same manufacturer.

The CZ 806 BREN 2 rifle's design is based on the CZ 805 BREN, but has undergone a number of changes and adjustments, which were based primarily on direct combat experience with the CZ 805 BREN assault rifle.

The firearm uses a proven locked breech with a rotating bolt locked by six teeth. A firing pin block is available for added safety, although the weight of the firing pin itself does not allow for the unwanted initiation of the primer in the bullet.

Picture: The ACR bought the first attack rifles CZ 806 BREN 2 already in 2015 | Česká zbrojovka a.s. Uherský Brod

The arm fires either with separate shoots or in bursts. The maximum cyclic rate of fire is 850 (±100) shoots per minute. The operation life of the barrel (cold-forged) is at least 20,000 shoots, the operation life of the whole system is at least 30,000 shoots. The minimum effective gun-range of the CZ 806 BREN 2 is 300 m (8” barrel) or 400 m (11 ") or 500 m (14") respectively. The weight of the CZ 806 BREN 2 with a full magazine (without optical sights) is 2,8 kg (8"), 3,05 kg (11 ") or 3,25 kg (14 ") respectively.