Czech Military Intends to Buy New Assault Rifles

The Czech Republic intends to purchase nearly 8,000 assault rifles and 400 grenade launchers to replace the ageing MAG-58 machine guns under an $81.5m defence deal.

Czech Arms manufacturers Ceska zbrojovka and MPI Group have showed interest in the deal to supply the required number of assault rifles and other military equipment to the Czech armed forces.

In addition to the assault rifles the Czech defence ministry is also planning to acquire about 1,400 telescope sights with night vision adapters and laser pointers as well as spare parts and ammunition, reports ceskenoviny.cz.

Deliveries of the assault rifles are expected to be complete in autumn 2013.

Recently, Czech military received the first Pandur II armoured personnel carriers, and purchased two Israeli-made unmanned surveillance planes Skylark II, as well as six US remote-controlled miniature unmanned aerial vehicles.