Two companies enter tender for assault rifles

Two companies have entered the Czech Defence Ministry’s tender for assault rifles – Česká Zbrojovka and MPI Group. The ministry wants to buy 8,000 assault rifles and 400 grenade launchers to replace the MAG-58 machine guns which have been in use since the 1950s. The military has earmarked 1,5 billion crowns for the purchase. Other arms producers, including Heckler and Koch and Beretta, have criticized the fact that companies had only one month to hand in their bids.