The 5.45 mm subkarabinek wz. 1989 Onyks (

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for: sub

carbine A carbine ( or ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges. The smaller size and lighte ...

wz. 1989 Onyx) is a lightweight Polish short variant of the 5.45 mm wz. 1988 Tantal assault rifle, also based on the

AKS-74U The AK-74 (Russian: , tr. ''Avtomat Kalashnikova obraztsa 1974 goda'', lit. 'Kalashnikov assault rifle model 1974) is an assault rifle designed by small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1974. While primarily associated with the Soviet ...

. Work on the weapon began in 1989 at the ''Ośrodek Badawczo-Rozwojowy'' state research institute in the city of

Radom Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), having previously been the seat of a separate Radom Voivodeship (1975� ...

. The weapon’s technical specifications were confirmed that same year. It was not until 1990 that production approval was given for the first prototypes, evaluated the following year in a series of military qualification tests resulting in an order for an initial pre-production batch in 1993, to be manufactured at the Łucznik Arms Factory in Radom.Woźniak, Ryszard. Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej - tom 3 M-P. Bellona. 2002. p.197 The carbine was created by a team led by B. Szpaderski and its chief engineers were K. Styczyński and E. Wysocki. The Onyks remained a prototype and has never advanced past the research and development stage. The Onyks was designed to equip airborne infantry, police and military special operations units and vehicle crews.

Design details

The carbine has an identical design layout, system of operation, locking mechanism and uses the same type of ammunition as the Tantal rifle, and the main modifications include the following components: the barrel, bolt carrier and piston rod, gas cylinder, foregrip, heatguard, muzzle device and iron sights. Compared to the Tantal, the Onyks features a barrel reduced in length by , fitted with a different type of muzzle device. Due to the barrel’s length, this device is primarily used to reduce muzzle flash, but it can also be used to mount and launch

rifle grenade A rifle grenade is a grenade that uses a rifle-based launcher to permit a longer effective range than would be possible if the grenade were thrown by hand. The practice of projecting grenades with rifle-mounted launchers was first widely used dur ...

s. At its muzzle end, the device has a conical

flash hider A flash suppressor, also known as a flash guard, flash eliminator, flash hider, or flash cone, is a muzzle device attached to the muzzle of a rifle that reduces its visible signature while firing by cooling or dispersing the burning gases that ...

, and on its tapered, external surface – a retainer spring and two collars, used to attach and guide rifle grenades. The Onyks features a bolt carrier borrowed from the wz. 1988 rifle, but with a significantly shortened gas piston rod. Additionally both the gas cylinder and upper heatguard have been reduced to accommodate the short gas system. The carbine also has a different sighting arrangement than the Tantal rifle, with a newly designed rear sight. The open-type flip sight with both 100-200 and 400 m settings is installed at the rear of an extended sight rail protected by ears, which is riveted to the rear sight base. The sight has two settings, “1 i 2” and “4” (that correspond to firing ranges from 100 to 200 m and 400 m respectively).Woźniak, Ryszard. Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej – tom 3 M-P. Bellona. 2002. p.198 The flip sight locks in position with a spring detent. The adjustable front sight post is screwed into the front sight base that is installed in the gas block. The Onyks can be fitted with

tritium Tritium ( or , ) or hydrogen-3 (symbol T or H) is a rare and radioactive isotope of hydrogen with half-life about 12 years. The nucleus of tritium (t, sometimes called a ''triton'') contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus of ...

night sights, similar to those used in the wz. 88 Tantal. Recesses cut into both sides of the sight rail are used to mount optical sights. The wooden or synthetic handguard, designed specifically for the Onyks is installed in a way analogous to the Tantal rifle’s handguard. The carbine is supplied with three spare magazines, four 15-round stripper clips and a magazine guide, cleaning kit, cleaning rod (which is stored in the maintenance kit, unlike the Tantal – under the barrel), sling, accessory pouch and oil bottle. Also unlike the Tantal, the Onyks is not compatible with a bayonet,

bipod A bipod is a V-shaped portable attachment that helps support and steady a device, usually a weapon such as a long gun or a mortar. The term comes from the Latin prefix ''bi-'' and Greek root ''pod'', meaning "two" and "foot" respectively. Bip ...

or the

40 mm 40 mm grenade (also styled 40mm grenade) is a generic class-name for grenade launcher ammunition ( subsonic shells) in caliber. The generic name stems from the fact that several countries have developed or adopted grenade launchers in ...

wz. 1974 underslung grenade launcher.

Notes

References

* {{AK47 derivatives 5.45×39mm assault rifles Kalashnikov derivatives Assault rifles of Poland pl:Karabinek wz. 88 Tantal

Design details

See also

Notes

References