Germany's new service rifle: The saga continues...

It’s looking more and more that Hk might be getting the edge:

“Allegedly, the German Army’s procurement office in Koblenz has viewed videos submitted by Heckler & Koch which show how components from Haenel’s CR223 can be interchanged with those of the HK416. This would seem to support Heckler & Koch’s claims that Haenel’s design infringes on their patents and intellectual property. Representatives from the court and the German Army’s Wehrtechnische Dienststelle (defense technical department) were reportedly present during the visit to Haenel’s factory.”

https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2020/12/16/c-g-haenel-raided-during-investigation-into-bundeswehr-rifle-debacle/

If that’s the case, I can’t help but wonder why they chose the Haenel in the first place. I can’t imagine that it cost that much less, and HK has been their go to for three quarters of a century.