G36 investigation raises questions about German service rifle

[Zarvan]

The range of weapons now issued to a Bundeswehr infantry squad is displayed in this photograph of soldiers posing with Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen in Afghanistan. In addition to the G36 service rifle, they have a FN Minimi, two G28 marksmen rifles, a G22 sniper rifle, and an MP7 submachine gun. Source: PA Photos
The German Ministry of Defence (MoD) issued a statement concerning the reliability of the Heckler & Koch G36 service rifle on 30 March, prompting statements from Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen and Bundeswehr chief of staff General Volker Wieker.

Following a lengthy investigation, it was established that the G36 significantly loses accuracy when the barrel becomes too hot. Specifically, the composite holding the barrel in place loosens and starts shifting with each shot fired, leading to inaccuracy of up to 50 cm, according to the statement.

Previous investigations either failed to identify the problem at all or, as was the case in February 2014, identified a faulty batch of ammunition as the source of the problem. The latest investigation places the G36 itself as the source of the problems, explicitly excluding external components or different types of ammunition.

IHS Jane's understands the deficiency occurs due to particularly intensive firing, a very hot climate, or a combination of both. German forces deployed to Afghanistan have repeatedly noted the problem over the past few years.

The latest investigation was jointly conducted by the German research organisation the Fraunhofer Institute, the Bundeswehr's Technical Centre for Weapons and Ammunition (WTD 91), and the Research Institute for Materials, Fuels, and Lubricants (WIWeB).

Heckler & Koch was not involved in the investigation and refuted its findings. It insists all of the 178,000 G36s and variants delivered to date have been of the agreed standard and are independently inspected by the company and the Bundeswehr upon delivery. "Any kind of claims for compensation are factually and legally irrelevant," it stated.

Defence Minister von der Leyen had hinted that there could be significant changes concerning the Bundeswehr's main service rifle. "We will see what this means in the medium run for the armed forces, including the question if a new and different service rifle needs to be introduced," she said.

Regardless of these new findings, measures were put in place to counter the problem in 2014. Soldiers have been given advice to prevent their rifles overheating in the first place, while infantry squads have been issued with a wider mix of weapons to make them less reliant on the G36, MoD officials said.
G36 investigation raises questions about German service rifle - IHS Jane's 360

 

[That Guy]

HK has little choice in the matter, they may fight this, but eventually they'll be forced to fix the problem; Make no mistake, this mistake WILL be fixed, HK can't afford to have a reputation of selling faulty guns, especially since competitions is getting hotter, and militarizes around the world are looking to modernize their equipment.

 

[Indus Falcon]

G36 rifle 'has no future' in German army
Published: 22 Apr 2015 09:13 GMT+02:00
Updated: 22 Apr 2015 12:55 GMT+02:00

Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen announced on Wednesday that the controversial G36 rifle 'has no future in the German Army,' signalling the end of a two decade relationship between the army and the dodgy weapon.

In recent weeks the Defence Ministry had admitted that the rifle, which the Bundeswehr has used since the mid-1990s, has “accuracy problems,” specifically a loss of accuracy when the rifle gets hot - either due to the air temperature or sustained firing.
Von der Leyen had come under sustained pressure to come clean on how much the Defence ministry knew about the weapon's failings

Earlier on Wednesday the Green party threatened the defence ministry with the setting up of a parliamentary investigation, if von der Leyen didn't “fully explain” the accuracy problems of the G36 at a defence committee meeting.

“If von der Leyen doesn't finally bring clarity to the disastrous behaviour of the Defence Ministry over the G36, then an an investigative committee will have to explain these failures,” said Anton Hofreiter, leader of the Green party.

Hofreiter criticised attempts by the defence ministry over years to hide the weapon's problems.

“It reveals not only the well documented management disaster at the heart of the ministry, but also an irresponsible failure of the duty to protect our soldiers.”

The G36 has been the standard rifle of the Bundesweher (German Army) since the mid nineties and was used on operation in Afghanistan for over a decade.

De Maizière knew about deficiencies

Newly revealed documents show that Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière knew about the problems with the Bundeswehr's (German army) standard rifle, the G36, three years ago while serving as Defence Minister.

In what could prove to be a huge controversy for one of Germany's most senior politicians, the Süddeutsche Zeitung revealed on Wednesday that during his time as Defence Minister de Maizière of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) was made aware of serious problems with the G36.

The broadsheet reports that de Maizière saw a “significant portion” of the information which has led the current defence minister Ursula von der Leyen to reconsider the rifle's use.

The documents which were signed by de Maizière detail tests conducted at the end of 2012 which show “a considerable deficiency” in the weapons accuracy that is of “substantial operational relevance.”

Although rumours have previously circulated that defence officials have tried to cover up problems with the weapon, this is the first time evidence has arisen that a senior politician knew of the rifle's shortcomings and did not act upon the information.

The documents also show that critical assessments of what the weapon's deficiencies could mean for soldiers on operation were changed.

A paragraph from one document questioning whether the weapon was adequate to be used on operation was changed a few weeks later to describe it as “fundamentally suitable.”


G36 rifle 'has no future' in German army - The Local