Photographs of Togolese military personnel parading with the Croatian-made 5.56×45mm VHS-2 bullpup assault rifles during the country’s 62nd year of Independence celebration, held on April 27th, 2022 at Lomé.
Dozens of the VHS-2 bullpup assault rifles were carried by Togo’s Army regular infantry.
The VHS-2 (Višenamjenska Hrvatska Strojnica—”multifunctional Croatian machine gun”) assault rifle is manufactured by HS Produkt, and is the first multifunctional assault rifle produced in Croatia. It is a bullpup assault rifle chambered in a 5.56x45mm NATO caliber.
It was first introduced at the 2007 IKA exhibition. IKA is a Croatian innovation display show in the city of Karlovac. A prototype was announced in 2004, while the next production model was presented to the public in 2005.
Although the VHS-2 rifle externally resembles the French FAMAS rifle, they are very different. Its functioning mechanism and disassembling mode are quite different.
The VHS-2 rifle is intended strictly for military and police use, and can be used against enemy infantry and light armored vehicles. It uses the Bullpup design in which the bolt action and magazine are located behind the trigger and alongside the shooter’s face. This means it allows a longer barrel to be fitted while the rifle’s overall length stays the same compared to the other assault rifle.
In Togo, the assault rifle will be fielded along with other assault rifles including SIG 540 5.56mm, AK-47 7.62mm, G3 7.62mm, Steyr SSG 69 7.62mm, and FN FAL 7.62mm.
