Recently, in many modern foreign armies, there has been a need for modular small arms of a variable configuration, with the possibility of adapting it to various combat situations, depending on the task at hand. The development of this small arms has been going on for quite a long time, today there are many models of modular small arms known, these are the Belgian SCAR, the Italian ARX-160 and the sample of the American gunsmiths Bushmaster ACR. Czech developers and manufacturers of weapons did not remain aloof from developments in this promising direction.
Back in 2009, during the IDET exhibition, they presented their new creation - the CZ-805 BREN assault rifle, manufactured by the famous arms company Ceska Zbrojovka in Uherské Brod. The same sample of small arms in the same year won the competition of the Czech Ministry of Defense for the supply of weapons as part of the rearmament of all units of the Czech Army planned for the coming years. It is assumed that it is the CZ-805 BREN that will replace the outdated 7.62mm Sa. Vz. 58, also known as Model 58, entered service over 50 years ago. At the moment, it became known that the Czech Ministry of Defense has ordered the first batch of new assault rifles, the delivery of which is scheduled for three years. Moreover, half of this batch of rifles should be delivered to the armed forces of the Czech Republic by the end of 2011. So far, the Czech army has several hundred units of CZ-805 BREN caliber 5, 56 mm, used for training purposes.
At the recent presentation of the new CZ-805 assault rifle at the Libava training ground, BREN fired several successful shots at targets, Alexander Vondra, the Minister of Defense of the Czech Republic. After that, in his statement to the representatives of the media present at the presentation, he said: "With my vision of 12 diopters, 15 hits on the target are quite a good result, which proves the excellent fighting qualities of the new machine gun."
The CZ-805 BREN assault rifle (automatic) is a multi-caliber and modular design with a classic gas-operated automatic system with a gas piston located above the barrel and a rotary bolt locking mechanism. The receiver of the machine is made of an aluminum alloy, to which a firing mechanism with a pistol grip and a replaceable magazine attachment are attached from below. The bolt can be cocked from both sides of the rifle, since the handle can be installed on either side. This, according to the manufacturers, was done for the convenience of shooting "left-handed" fighters. Also, a fuse and a firing mode switch are installed on both sides, with the ability to switch to a single shot, firing in long or short (two shots) bursts.
All assault rifles are equipped with quick-change air-cooled barrels, if necessary, you can quickly change the barrel, magazine shaft, shutter locking mechanism, thereby remaking the assault rifle for cartridge 7, 62 mmx39, 5, 56 mm (NATO standard) or 6, 8 mm Rem SPC. The replaceable magazine shaft allows the use of a wide variety of NATO standard magazines for firing. The rate of fire of the assault rifle is 750 rounds per minute, the firing range (sighting) is from 500 meters, depending on the length of the interchangeable barrel used. The assault rifle, in addition to the diopter rear sight and front sight already installed on special bases, can be equipped with various types of sights, both night and day. It is possible to install a "tactical silencer" (a device for low-noise shooting) on the barrel of the machine. The regular magazine of the assault rifle is made of durable transparent plastic, thanks to which you can control the consumption of cartridges, which is an important factor in the transience and tension of modern combat. The length-adjustable plastic stock folds sideways to the right side or can be removed from the assault rifle. In addition to the assault rifle, a bayonet-knife specially designed for it or an under-barrel grenade launcher CZ G 805 can be attached.
Currently, three versions of the CZ-805 BREN assault rifle have been developed: the standard version (CZ-805 BREN A1), developed for the 5, 56 mm cartridge, with a barrel length of 360 mm, the version with a shortened barrel (CZ-805 BREN A2) and the third version (CZ-805 BREN A3) with an extended barrel for use as a machine gun or sniper rifle, equipped with a removable bipod handle and a tactical flashlight. The weight of the standard version is 3.6 kg, the length with the stock folded is 670 mm.
