The G36 is a German 5.56 mm assault rifle, designed in the early 1990s by Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K) and accepted into service with the German Armed Forces in 1997, replacing the 7.62 mm G3 automatic rifle.[1]

Development

German Army soldiers deployed with G36s.
Work on a successor for the venerable G3 rifle had been ongoing in Germany since the second half of the 1970s. These efforts resulted in the innovative 4.73 mm G11 assault rifle (developed jointly by a group of companies led by H&K), that used caseless ammunition (designed by the Dynamit Nobel company). It had been predicted that this weapon would eventually replace the G3, therefore further development of H&K's series of firearms chambered for the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge had been halted. Heckler & Koch had no incentive to pursue a new 5.56 mm weapon design, content with the export-oriented HK33 and G41 assault rifles. However, the G11 program came to an abrupt end when the Bundeswehr rejected the design due to defense budget cuts after the unification of East and West Germany and H&K was acquired in 1991 by British Aerospace's Royal Ordnance division (known today as BAE Systems).

Increasing interest in Germany for a modern service rifle chambered for the NATO-standard 5.56 mm cartridge led H&K to offer the German armed forces the G41 rifle, which too was declined. Design work was then initiated from the ground up on a modern 5.56 mm assault rifle, designated "Project 50" or HK50.[1] The prototype was then trialled, where it was rated higher than the rival Austrian Steyr AUG system.[1] The HK50 rifle was selected for service and an initial order was placed for 33,000 units having the Bundeswehr designation Gewehr G36. The order also involved an option for a further 17,000 rifles. Deliveries were first made to the Bundeswehr's NATO Quick Reaction Force during the third quarter of 1997.

In July 1998, it was announced that the G36 had been selected as the standard rifle for the Spanish Armed Forces, replacing the 5.56 mm CETME Model L and LC rifles.[2] Deliveries first took place at the end of 1999. These rifles are being manufactured in Spain, under license by General Dynamics Santa Bárbara Sistemas at the FACOR (Fábrica de Armas de la Coruña) facility, in A Coruña, Galicia.

The G36 is manufactured in three primary versions: the G36 standard rifle, the G36K carbine (K – Kurz, German for "short") and the MG36 light machine gun (MG – Maschinengewehr or "machine gun"). An export version of the series is also produced (these weapons have a simplified sighting system, as well as a NATO-standard bayonet mount) parallel to the standard line-up, called the G36E, G36KE and MG36E respectively. Heckler & Koch has since revised the export model suffix from "E" to "V" resulting in the identical G36V and G36KV models (the MG36 and MG36E are no longer offered by H&K).