Springfield Armory is hitting the U.S. market hard with the new Hellion bullpup carbine. Based on the 5.56 NATO VHS-2 fielded by the Croatian armed forces and tested by the French military, this is the bullpup Springfield fans have been asking for.
“The new semi-automatic Hellion builds upon the solid foundation of the Croatian VHS-2, and adapts it to the needs of American shooters,” said Springfield Armory Vice President Steve Kramer. “With the changes applied to the design by Springfield Armory, the Hellion offers American shooters a truly unique and capable 5.56 bullpup.”
“Based on the internationally proven VHS-2 bullpup, which has been employed by the Croatian armed forces in demanding environments ranging from Iraq to Africa and beyond, the Springfield Armory Hellion offers American shooters a semi-automatic version of this highly capable firearm,” Springfield said in the announcement.
The Hellion is a fully ambidextrous bullpup with a 16-inch barrel, a Magpul M-Lok forend, a STANAG magazine well and a one-piece full-length flattop rail for optics and accessories. A bullpup, the action is tucked in the rear of the carbine in the telescoping stock assembly to make it as compact as possible.
In addition to the magwell, the Hellion uses AR-pattern pistol grips and comes with a BCM Gunfighter Mod 3 grip. The optics rail has integral adjustable, 5-position aperture flip-up iron sights that stow away flush. The rail doubles as a carry handle and protects the non-reciprocating charging handle.
And it is truly ambidextrous, with a reversible bolt that can be set to eject from either side without any tools or extra parts. It can be set to right- or left-handed operation as quickly as it can be field-stripped and reassembled.
The Hellion is designed to eject spent cases safely away from the shooter in either configuration, and can be shot from the weak side with less worry about getting brass to the face. All of the other controls are fully ambidextrous including the safety selector, magazine and bolt release and the charging handle.
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The other main control is the stock adjustment lever for the 5-position adjustable stock, which also has an adjustable cheek riser. The Hellion has six quick-detach sling sockets to accommodate a wide variety of sling styles.
Internally the Hellion uses a two-position adjustable short-stroke gas piston system and multi-lug bolt based on the well-proven AR-18 family of firearms. The Hellion comes with a 4-prong flash hider and ships with one 30-round Magpul PMag where available.
Overall, the Hellion measures in at just over 28 inches long with the stock collapsed and weighs 8 pounds unloaded. The 16-inch barrel has a 1-in-7 twist and a Melonite nitride finish along with the bolt carrier group.
This is an exciting announcement for Springfield fans and gun enthusiasts all across the country. People have been asking Springfield to develop this carbine for the American market for years, and they’re making it happen.
Pricing for the Springfield Armory Hellion is $1,999. For more information about the Hellion and other Springfield Armory products, check them out online.