The whole Ukraine thing might have provided a little impetus.
"The ‘System Sturmgewehr Bundeswehr’ or System Assault Rifle Bundeswehr will reportedly be made up of two variants of the HK416 – the G95A1, likely to have a 16.5 inch barrel, and the G95KA1 carbine variant which will have a 14 inch barrel. As with all rifles in the HK416 family the rifles use a short-stroke gas piston system and a rotating bolt head locking mechanism.
The G95 rifles will replace the Bundeswehr’s G36 rifles. The HK416A7 variant, with a 14.5 inch barrel, is already in use with Germany’s Special Forces Command – the KSK. Externally, it is believed that the G95A1 will have different furniture with a stock with an adjustable cheek rise and a pistol grip angle similar to that of the G36 in line with the requirements of the German Army’s original tender.
An initial funding request worth 25 million Euros has been green-lit by the Bundestag with a minimum order for 13,929 G95A1s and 3,104 G95KA1s. Further details on when the first guns may be delivered are not yet available. Last year it was stated that the contract for the System Sturmgewehr Bundeswehr would call for delivery of 20,000 rifles per year for five years."
Interesting they chose to go with a Keymod handguard. I thought Keymod was kindof on it’s way out. Personally, i think Keymod is an easier system to use than Mlok, but it seems MLOK has has taken over.
I mean, its obviously the best or among the best rifles available…and it’s homegrown. I probably would stick with pic rails like the rest of Europe has with their 416s but whatever.
It’s not KeyMod, it’s HKey. There are two versions of HKey, one with the same orientation as KeyMod (H&K GmbH), and one with the reverse orientation (H&K USA, also known as Modular Rail System, and now out of fashion and replaced by M-LOK). Also check out KeySlot by AI, which predated KeyMod. KeyMod is not compatible with any of the systems listed.
M-LOK is going to be a little bit less prevalent in the EU due to ITAR considerations, as the T-nut used is ITAR restricted (or at least was at the time the tender was written, not sure if it still is). ITAR was apparently specifically brought up in the German tender, and the cited reason for why SIG declined to participate in this competition. ITAR makes exporting a hassle, as now a foreign company is beholden to American bureaucratic considerations, and possibly even its use on foreign soil by the state in question. Of course, there is also the protectionist aspect of it all.
They went from a HK (G36) to a HK (416 variant) and honestly, military’s that depend upon foreign arms are vulnerable. I really thought they took the G36 completely out of service already, seems like it was even more problematic than the FN SCAR.
Apparently it was pretty bad. HK made a video for court where the parts were straight drop-in many cases. On the other hand, it does appear that the Haenel won the actual trials. It makes sense, Haenel was really Caracal which had hired away Robert Hirt and the HK 416 team away from SIG (where they had designed Sig’s 516 and other designs that have evolved into the Spear). I watched an interview with an ex Sig engineer where he was desperate not to mention Hirt’s name, which made me suspicious everyone is in lawsuit mode.
One thing I wish HK would do with the 416 that Haenel did with their rifle was the tool less removal of the handguard. I wish there was a decent quality handguard for the 416 that didn’t require a wrench to field strip.
True, but HK was in the state s-list for a while. That’s probably the real reason why Hanel won the contract before the no-compromise lawyers were deployed. I think Russia has made most of those concerns seem petty.
