Heckler & Koch'sG36 assault rifle, the Bundeswehr'sordnance weapon since 1997, has come under increasing criticism following reports from its deployment in Afghanistan that the weapon is said to lose precision to a critical degree at high temperatures and after continuous fire. After a year-long selection process, it was announced on September 15, 2020, that the G36 will be replaced in the future by an assault rifle made byHaenel, a company based in Suhl, Thuringia. According to current knowledge, the future standard weapon of the Bundeswehr will be a version of theHaenel MK 556.
The abbreviation MK is based on the designation "Maschinen Karabiner" (machine carbine). Like the G36, the modern assault rifle, which is largely made of synthetic materials, will be delivered in the standard NATO caliber 5.56 × 45 mm NATO(.223 Remington). The fully automaticgas-operated loader is said to have a magazine capacity of 30 rounds. At the Saxon police force, the civilian version of the MK556, the Haenel CR223 is already part of the expanded equipment.
According to media reports, the deal, which is said to involve 120,000 units of the G-36 successor, is valued at 250 million euros. The weapon is described as technically based on the AR-15 assault rifle due to its development history. Haenel is already supplying the Bundeswehr with the G-29 sniper rifle in 2016, albeit in small numbers.
Marktplatz
