German defense minister says 'no future' for G36 rifles in Bundeswehr

[jimmy olsen]

How the hell could they miss such an obvious design flaw?

http://www.dw.de/german-defense-minister-says-no-future-for-g36-rifles-in-bundeswehr/a-18399209

German defense minister says 'no future' for G36 rifles in Bundeswehr

Germany's military will have to find a replacement for the current G36 assault rifle, according to Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen. Special Forces troops are to receive new weapons immediately.

Germany's military was likely to get a replacement for Heckler & Koch's G36 rifles after Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen declared on Wednesday that the weapon had "no future in the German army in its current state of construction."

The Defense Ministry would now work towards replacing the gun as soon as possible, von der Leyen said after she met with representatives of the parliamentary Defense Commission in Berlin.

Immediate replacement for soldiers

Special Forces deployed in conflict areas were to receive replacement weapons immediately, the minister added. However, she did not exclude the possibility of the army adopting a new version of the G36, produced by weapons company Heckler & Koch.

Problems with the assault rifle would be discussed within the Defense Ministry and initially there would be no parliamentary commission to examine the ministry's findings, opposition parties said in Berlin.

The Left and the Green parties would at some point in time question Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere on the G36 affair. De Maiziere served as defense minister in 2010, when problems with the weapon first came to light.

Low accuracy at high temperatures

The assault rifle's capabilities came under scrutiny after a study commissioned by the German Defense Ministry last year claimed "the weapons system did not fulfill the requirements."

The weapon's capacity to hit targets fell to 30 percent when the surrounding temperature reached 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) or when the weapon became hot through constant use, the report said.

The reason for the gun's poor precision was its "complete system," the research revealed.

[Syt]

How the hell could they miss such an obvious design flaw?

My guess:

[Syt]

Funny, though, considering that the G3 was very reliable, and many rifles were in service for decades (mine was 30 years old when I used it, our machine gun over 40 years).

[Zanza]

The German defense ministry seems to have a uniquely incompetent procurement unit. Everything they buy is too expensive, years late and rarely meets expectations. Then again, military procurement is often just subsidizing some ailing defense contractor.

[PJL]

The German defense ministry seems to have a uniquely incompetent procurement unit. Everything they buy is too expensive, years late and rarely meets expectations. Then again, military procurement is often just subsidizing some ailing defense contractor.

Sounds like our defence ministry as well.

[DontSayBanana]

30° C?  Didn't Germany have units operating in Afghanistan?

[Syt]

30° C?  Didn't Germany have units operating in Afghanistan?

It's also not an unlikely summer temperature in Germany.

[Agelastus]

The German defense ministry seems to have a uniquely incompetent procurement unit. Everything they buy is too expensive, years late and rarely meets expectations. Then again, military procurement is often just subsidizing some ailing defense contractor.

Sounds like our defence ministry as well.

Is there any defence ministry that description doesn't fit?

[Warspite]

The Kurds will not be happy. 

[lustindarkness]

My airsoft G36 and G36C are great rifles.

[Zanza]

The Kurds will not be happy. 

Why? They'll soon get 167.000 new rifles. 

[Norgy]

Funny, though, considering that the G3 was very reliable, and many rifles were in service for decades (mine was 30 years old when I used it, our machine gun over 40 years).

The G3 or AG3 as it was called here is one hell of a reliable weapon.

I think the Norwegian Army switched to some other standard weapon. What's the standard NATO standard now?


We also used the Schmeissers you Germans left behind for a long time under the guise of "MP5".

[Syt]

The Kurds will not be happy. 

Why? They'll soon get 167.000 new rifles. 

They just need to create a cooling system for the rifles that will keep them cold enough for operations in desert environs.

[Syt]

We also used the Schmeissers you Germans left behind for a long time under the guise of "MP5".

Those weren't Germans, those were Nazis.



(Actually, a lot of Austrians went to Norway, because they sent a lot of mountain troops there.)

[DGuller]

Given the new geopolitical realities, I would be more concerned if the rifle didn't work well in freezing conditions.