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The Bundeswehr is equipped with a new assault rifle. The budget committee of the Bundestag approved the purchase of a successor to the G36 assault rifle. This is to be replaced by a total of 118,718 Heckler & Koch HK416 rifles. The first weapons should be available to the troops in 2024. Cost point: 209 million euros.

The new “System Assault Rifle Bundeswehr”, as it is officially called, is based on the model HK416 (also often referred to as the G95). It is currently used by the Special Forces Command. The weapon resembles the American AR-15 assault rifle, but unlike the modern gas piston system.

The HK416 model has been in use worldwide for nearly 20 years, including by units of the US Army. In France and Norway it is already the standard weapon of the armed forces. The version for the Bundeswehr seems slightly modified. A photo on the Department of Defense website shows a handguard on the fore-barrel of the rifle, which is not present on other models.

The version for the German soldiers is listed as the A8. It can be operated with standard NATO ammunition. The A8 version is 890mm long and weighs 3.67kg. The assault rifle has a modified trigger that can also be operated with thick gloves. It also has a ceramic coating and can be equipped with additional accessories from Heckler & Koch.

The A8 version also has a new pistol grip with a sharper angle, a bayonet mount on the barrel and an adjustable cheek pad on the stock. The polymer parts also took on a slightly more muted, sandy color compared to predecessors, which were more yellow.

Tender with obstacles

The previous model, the G36, came on the market in 1997 and was considered a revolution – thanks in part to its lightweight construction with glass fiber reinforced plastic. However, reports of the rifle’s accuracy increased, and in 2015, then Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen decided that it should be phased out.

Two years later there was a tender that led to protests from some arms manufacturers. According to a report by “Spiegel”, the manufacturer Sig Sauer accused the ministry of adapting the documents to the Heckler & Koch model. The company therefore decided not to bid. Legal proceedings and concerns from the Federal Audit Office and the German Armed Forces further delayed the project, also under the direction of Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.

Sources