German BAAINBw Bundeswehr office for defense procurement informed on the 10th of October, that an H&K HK416A7 carbine was chosen for the German commandos. The choice is a part of Sturmgewehr Speziakräfte program. A general order from the same day introduced the new weapon as a regulation armament under the G95 name.
Heckler & Koch G95 (HK416A7) is the successor of H&K G36KA1/A2/A4 rifles currently used in the KSK and KSM units / Photo: Heckler & Koch
It was also confirmed, that 1745 rifles with accessories were ordered from German company Heckler & Koch. Five weapons have been already delivered for the comparison trials. Oberndorf based manufacturer will supply the first batch of 40 HK416A7s in the November 2017. These will be delivered to the WTD91 testing center and to the special forces units. After the trials and approvement, 1705 of G95`s will reach the soldiers between January and June 2019.
5,56-mm G95 carbine is a variant of HK416A7 equipped with 368-mm (14,5-inch) long barrel. The color is dark flat earth, not the tan (RAL8000) as used before in German weapons. Rifle weight is 3,69 kg. Interestingly, fire selector switch moves in 45-degree steps, similar to G36K. Previous HK416 models had 90 degrees travel. This change was requested by the German Commandos.
The weapon is equipped with a lighter handguard with NAR (NATO Accessory Rail) universal rails located on the top and bottom. There are also additional accessory attachment points on the left and right side of the rifle. Front sight base, mounted to the barrel, is foldable. Rear sight fitted on the end of the top mounting rail.
G95 will replace the G36KA1/A2/A4 carbines, being a standard issue rifles in the German special forces units. The new weapon will be used by 1100 soldiers of Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK) unit (land forces) and the smaller Kommando Spezialkräfte Marine (KSM) formation (navy). G95 will be supplied with a suppressor, laser pointer/iluminator, flashlight and a sling. The contract is valued at around 20 million Euros.
The requirements from January 2017 stipulated, that the new weapons are to be fed with 5,56 x 45 mm ammunition. Rifle length should not exceed 900 mm with the weight being no more than 3,8 kg. The barrel should have 10.000 shots life, while the chamber should withstand 30.000 shots. All weapon controls shall be ambidextrous.
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