Springfield Armory® is proud to announce two new variants of the Hellion™, offering enhanced ballistic performance with 18” and 20” barrel length options and unique features true to the original VHS-2 design.
Based on the internationally proven bullpup employed by the Croatian armed forces in demanding environments ranging from Iraq to Africa and beyond, the Hellion offers American shooters a semi-automatic version of this highly capable and fully ambidextrous firearm. The newly released variants feature extended 18” and 20” barrels, resulting in a 5.56mm that still offers the compact handling characteristics of a bullpup, but with enhanced velocity and downrange performance.
In addition, the 20”-barreled version of the Hellion features an overall configuration similar to that of the Croatian VHS-D2, a designated marksman version of the VHS-2. The 20” Hellion is outfitted with a distinctive ribbed forward section of barrel for enhanced cooling as well as an integrated bayonet lug.
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Now, why did I say LongPup? Well the VHS-2 has an adjustable length of pull on the stock and it is… more than average to begin with. I like the feature in concept but the actual dimensions are for NBA and NFL proportioned folks.
That ribbing aside (and the barrel cooling ribbing on the 20 is neat) I like that the bullpup offerings in the US, especially of actual service rifle designs, is expanding. The VHS-2 Hellion has some ergonomic quirks to be sure, but it is an eminently runnable rifle. I still want to see Lithgow bring in the F90 updated AUG variants into country too. Get the whole updated mix.
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I’m ultimately looking forward to seeing the Hellion and its aftermarket join strong offerings like the leading X95 in being 5.56 NATO for everyone.
