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After a long selection process, the future weaponry of German soldiers is practically certain. Thuringian gunsmith CG Haenel will deliver the new assault rifle. This is a surprise. CG Haenel started the bidding process as an outsider.
The heads of the Defense Ministry informed representatives of the Defense Committee on Monday about the results of the tests and series of tests that were carried out under the leadership of the procurement office (BAAINBw). The Haenel weapon had proven to be technically somewhat better in testing and, at the same time, more “economical” in range, it was said Monday.
On Tuesday the Defense Ministry announced that the registration decision was “subject to parliamentary approval.” Documents are currently being prepared for this. The goal is for parliament to take up the issue by the end of 2020.
The Ministry of Defense announced the successor to the G36 from manufacturer Heckler & Koch in 2017. The main order includes 120,000 assault rifles. The first tender was designed for a quarter of a billion euros, something that should be added to this summer over the years. Haenel offered a version of the MK556 (caliber 5.56mm). The semi-automatic version of the weapon is used as CR223 by the Saxon police, among others.
Bitter message to decision makers in Berlin
At Heckler & Koch in Oberndorf, the frustration after the decision is great. According to information from SPIEGEL, majority shareholder Andreas Heeschen sent a frankly bitter message to top employees and policy makers in Berlin on Monday evening. The short message indicates that HK will challenge the decision in favor of competitor Haenel in court.
Heeschen regretfully describes how “the Federal Defense Ministry Heckler and Koch will reject the contract for the delivery of the future Bundeswehr assault rifle after about 60 years.” As the majority owner, Heeschen continues, “I deeply regret this development.”
In principle, Heckler & Koch could still challenge the selection decision before the federal chamber of awards. According to the legal deadline, the manufacturer must decide whether to take this step during the next two weeks. By examining the tender in the public procurement court, Heckler & Koch could at least greatly delay the process. As a general rule, procedures before the camera take a long time, the ministry is already familiar with this from other large weapons projects.
The opposition also wants to keep a close eye on Haenel’s selection. “Of course, in the budget committee we will look very closely at how this decision was made,” defense politician Tobias Lindner (Greens) told SPIEGEL. He hopes that the ministry will make all the criteria of the selection decision transparent.
Heckler & Koch had criticized the award process
Heckler & Koch is the manufacturer of the current G36 assault rifle. There has been a dispute over this in recent years, revolving around precision in extreme conditions – fighting high intensity fires with long shooting sequences or in extreme weather conditions. The then Defense Minister, Ursula von der Leyen, announced in 2015 “that the G36, as it is built today, has no future in the Bundeswehr.”
Last year Heckler & Koch criticized the ministry amid the ongoing award process and, in a letter to von der Leyen, demanded a higher caliber specification. It was also criticized that there was no fair and competent selection for the successor model to the G36.
The interaction of weight, barrel length, ammunition, and target performance is technically complex with weapons. The caliber of the ammunition determines the penetrating power, but it also limits the number of shots the man can carry, due to weight.
Gunsmith Haenel is owned by a holding company in the United Arab Emirates
Only the caliber of the weapon is not specified in the offer, but a weight. In the tender, the Bundeswehr also asked for a rifle that is suitable for all climates. Sufficient firepower was also required to be able to hold the enemy temporarily, that is, force him to take cover.
Haenel is already supplying the Bundeswehr with a sniper rifle. The company belongs to the Merkel Group, which is part of Tawazun Holding (United Arab Emirates). Obviously, the fact that the current company could depend on Arab money did not interfere in the decision. In 2008, CG Haenel resumed its operations as a start-up. Former founder and namesake Carl Gottlieb Haenel established industrial weapons production in Suhl from 1840 onwards.
A third bidder, Sig Sauer from Eckernförde, had withdrawn from the current tender. Sig Sauer complained of unequal treatment and also claimed this due to limited access to test ammunition, which Heckler & Koch had at their disposal due to and could benefit from other supply relationships.
