Perhaps a good number of our readers were surprised with the announcement that C.G. Haenel won the bid for the System Sturmgewehr Bundeswehr program with the MK556 rifle. This selection is about the replacement of the G36 as the standard rifle of the Bundeswehr with Heckler & Koch losing the bid with its HK416 and HK433 offerings.

Many thought the contract would be for Heckler & Koch to take given that it has been the supplying the German military for decades starting with the G3 in the 1950s to West Germany and its weapons platforms are very much in use in NATO-member countries. The win by C.G. Haenel is indeed a big blow given to Heckler & Koch.

Heckler & Koch HK433 Rifle

In the extensive tests conducted before reaching a decision, the MK556 is said to be “somewhat better” as reported by the German Press Agency (DPA) and perhaps being cheaper than the offerings of Heckler & Koch is what made the decision clearer. Below is a video of the CR223 a semi-auto and civilian version of the MK556 that is already in use in some police forces:

The win is not official as it is still subject to a possible complaint from the losing bidder or judicial review proceedings before it gets final. Heckler & Koch is determined to that as revealed in its press statement following the decision to award the contract to C.G. Haenel (translated from German using online translation tool):

Statement on the Bundeswehr's award decision
September 15, 2020

Heckler & Koch was informed today that neither of its two offers should be included in the assault rifle tender of the Bundeswehr.

"Subject to an extensive legal review, we regret this decision", says CEO Jens Bodo Koch. “At the same time, we are absolutely convinced of the quality of both the HK416 and the HK433. This quality has also been confirmed to us by the Bundeswehr in the context of this tender. We don't have to shy away from competition with our products."

This is also shown by the order books, which are still very well filled. "The number of orders from all over the world is higher than we can currently process and the demand remains high," continues Koch. "Heckler & Koch is and will remain a profitable company again."

For this reason, in the view of the Executive Board, there are no direct consequences for the employees at the Oberndorf location. “After changing the majority shareholder a few weeks ago, we announced that the jobs in Oberndorf were secure. Nothing has changed about that, ”explains CFO Björn Krönert.

The offer submitted by Heckler & Koch for the Bundeswehr's new assault rifle was based on the company's extensive experience with orders of this size, on a realistic and conscientious cost calculation for a high-tech product, and on the company's responsibility for maintaining 950 jobs at the site Oberndorf. The triad of tradition, know-how and corporate responsibility has resulted in Heckler & Koch products in demand worldwide for more than 70 years.

For the Bundeswehr tender, Heckler & Koch improved the already technically highly developed HK416 again and verifiably met all tender conditions. This rifle has blossomed into the European assault rifle since its launch. It is used in numerous NATO countries, on the one hand as a standard weapon in Norway, France and in the US Marine Corps, and as an assault rifle among many others in the special forces of the USA, Poland and Great Britain. The Bundeswehr Special Forces Command (KSK) and combat swimmers are currently introducing this weapon as the G95k.

"We will now examine the decision in detail from a legal perspective and exhaust all legal options," says CEO Jens Bodo Koch.

We'll find out in the following weeks or months if there is going to be an epic battle if Heckler & Koch proceeds with the protest.