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Proposed Replacements For The Bundeswehr G36 Rifle Fail In Tests

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The ongoing program to replace the G36 rifle of the Bundeswehr (German Military) has suffered a setback.  In a report in Die Welt, that none of the proposed replacements have met fulfilled the “individual mandatory requirements” after seven months of comparative tests. This was revealed in a confidential letter from the Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Use of the Federal Armed Forces (BAAINBw) to the Ministry of Defense.

It was announced by the German Ministry of Defence in 2015 that the G36, made by Heckler & Koch, would be phased out. The decision was made when the G36 was found to be overheating that resulted to reduced accuracy after prolonged use in hot weather.

Whilst there was no mention of the guns involved in the testing, as the Defence Ministry keeps the names of the companies involved in the bidding, earlier reports indicate that there are two remaining contenders as the G36 replacement: the Heckler & Koch HK433 and the Haenel MK556. Other contenders that were pulled out earlier were the FNH SCAR-L, SIG Sauer MCX, and the Rheinmetall - Steyr Mannlicher RS556.

The companies have been given a deadline of 15 February 2019 to remedy the deficiencies and they will be checked again, leading to further delays.

Auditors also indicate that the weapons manufacturers were proposing 5.56mm rifles when there are other units in the Bundeswehr that are requesting for a 7.62mm weapon.

Photo: German soldiers in OMLT exercise in Hohenfels, Germany, May 2012 (U.S. Army Photo by Spc. Ian Schell)

The auditors have been told by the Procurement Office that they will write to the Ministry “to conduct separate investigations to verify penetration performance” to rectify the issues. From there the results will be evaluated by the Bundeswehr’s planning office. If the evaluation comes out negative, then the award procedure would be cancelled which then would result into the Bundeswehr waiting for years for a new service rifle.

It is seen that for the new service rifle, the tender will be for 120,000 units for the price of 250 million euros which could increase to 400 million euros if the required accessories is included as well. The final price will be negotiated only after a decision to award has been made.

For now, whilst there is no replacement in sight and until there is a new service rifle, the operational capability of the G36 was fully guaranteed according to the Defence ministry.

 

Top photo: German soldier in Operation Sharp Griffin, May 2016 in Kosovo (U.S. Army photo by: Staff Sgt. Thomas Duval, Multinational Battle Group-East Public Affairs)

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