Kbk wz. 1988 Tantal
Summary
| Country | 🇵🇱 Poland |
| Category | Assault rifle |
| Manufacturer | Łucznik Arms Factory |
Technical specifications
| Kbk wz. 1988 Tantal | |
|---|---|
| Fire Rate | 700 rounds/min. |
| Caliber | 5.45 x 39 mm |
| Magazine | 30 rounds |
| Length | 943 mm (37.1 in) |
| Weight | 3.69 kg (8.1 lb) |
| Range | 500 m (1640 ft) |
Description
The karabinek wzór 1988 (Carbine Model 1988) Tantal is a 5.45×39mm assault rifle designed and produced in Poland in the late 1980s. Design work began in 1984 at the Ośrodek Badawczo-Rozwojowy (OBR) in Radom, building on studies initiated in 1980. Early prototypes, designated wz. 1981, were modeled on the Soviet 7.62mm AKM and incorporated features like a multi-functional muzzle device for grenade launching, a sturdier folding stock (similar to the East German MPi-KMS-72), and a mechanically limited burst fire mode derived from the AKMS wz. 1980 prototype. The rifle underwent extensive overhaul and improvement by late 1987, introducing components interchangeable with the AK-74, including the bolt carrier and magazines, while refining the burst mechanism. These improved prototypes were evaluated in 1988 and declared to meet requirements in 1989, followed by a pre-production order that year. Operational testing was completed in 1990, leading to its introduction into Polish Army service in 1991 as the 5,45 mm karabinek wz. 1988. The weapon's design was led by B. Szpaderski at OBR Radom, and it was produced by the Łucznik Arms Factory in Radom.
The Tantal is a selective fire weapon employing a gas piston system, utilizing expanding gas tapped from the barrel through a port. The bolt locks against its longitudinal axis by rotating. A spring extractor is located within the bolt head, and a fixed ejector is in the receiver housing. Fire modes include fully automatic ("C"), semi-automatic ("P"), and three-round burst ("S"), selected by a lever on the left side of the receiver. Safety is manual, with a lever on the right side ("Z" for safe, "O" for fire), disabling the trigger bar and limiting bolt carrier movement. The rifle feeds from double-column curved box magazines with a 30-round capacity, made from bakelite or stamped metal. The cold hammer forged barrel features a chrome-plated bore with four right-hand grooves and a 200 mm twist rate and is fitted with a multifunction muzzle brake for launching rifle grenades.
The Tantal can be equipped with:
-
A side-folding metal wire stock but can also use fixed wooden or synthetic stocks designed for AKM or AK-74 rifles.
-
Handguards and pistol grip are typically bakelite, though some black polymer variants exist. Most wz. 1996 Beryl handguards are compatible.
Iron sights consist of an adjustable rear notch and front post. The rear sight has range settings from 100 to 1,000 m and a fixed "S" setting equivalent to 400 m, along with a radium gas illuminated vial for low light. Standard accessories include spare magazines, a bayonet, bipod, stripper clips and guide, cleaning kit, sling, pouch, and lubricant bottle. The muzzle brake can be replaced with a blank firing adaptor. It fires locally produced 5.45×39mm standard, tracer, or training cartridges.
Variants derived from the Tantal include the Onyks carbine and the karabinek-granatnik wz. 1974 rifle/grenade launcher combination. A "night" variant of the wz. 1988 was also produced, equipped with a receiver side-rail for mounting night sights such as the NSP-3 or Polish PCS-5. A prototype Kbk wz. 1990 was created, chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO, but was not adopted by the Polish Army.
The wz. 1988 Tantal was introduced into service with the Polish Army in 1991. Approximately 25,000 units were fielded by Poland. It was partially withdrawn from service in 2005, with some units remaining in storage.
Identified users include Poland, which received approximately 25,000 units, Iraq, which acquired 10,000 units from Poland in 2005/2006, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, Syria, and Ukraine, which received donations from Poland in 2022.