Nigeria to Begin Manufacturing the Polish FB Beryl M762 Rifle

The FB Beryl is a rifle made by Polish company Fabryka Broni in the city of Radom. The Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) has reached an agreement with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) to produce Beryl M762 rifles in Nigeria for the Nigerian military. PGZ is the holding company for Fabryka Broni.

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According to IHS Jane’s, a memo signed by PGZ president Jakub Skiba and DICON director general Major General Bamidele Ogunkale outlines a three-phase technology transfer. The transfer covers initial assembly and partial manufacture before moving on to full production. The Beryl M762 rifles will be made at the Ordnance Factory Complex in Kaduna, Nigeria.

The Beryl M762 is an export version of the 5.56mm NATO Beryl 96C used by the Polish Armed Forces. Chambered in 7.62x39mm, the M762 features accessory rails, accepts standard AK magazines and includes a fire selector with single shot, three-round burst and full-automatic modes, Jane’s says.

PGZ’s relationship with the Nigerian military stretches back to 2015. In February of that year, the Nigerian Army received its first batch of 1,000 Beryl rifles. The contract in that instance was worth PLN 3.3 million, or $965,613. In June 2015, the PGZ delivered an additional 500 Beryl M762 rifles. The company also supplies 10 Mini Beryl M556 carbines. In April 2017, the Nigerian Air Force received 500 M762 rifles, DefenceWeb reports.

The value of the latest deal hasn’t been confirmed. But Jane’s points to Nigeria’s 2017 federal budget, which earmarks NGN364 million ($1 million) and NGN390 million respectively to create production lines for the Beryl M762 and AK-47 rifles. Jane’s speculates that the AK-47 is a reference to the OBJ-006. That’s an AK variant first introduced by DICON in 2006.

Check out the specifications for the Beryl M762 below.