Problemen rondom de wapens van Heckler & Koch

Gestart door Ace1, 02/04/2015 | 23:07 uur

Sparkplug

Germany Military Loses Legal Battle with Heckler & Koch

Source: Deutsche Welle; published Sept 02, 2016

Gun manufacturers Heckler & Koch scored a legal victory against the Defense Ministry on Friday, when a court ruled they were not liable for damages over faulty assault rifles. Berlin had argued that the company's G36 rifle was unable to shoot straight in hot weather or when it becomes overheated from constant firing.

The court in the city of Koblenz rejected the government's call for the army to be compensated for the 3,845 rifles it ordered in two contracts dating back to 2013. The court ruled that Heckler & Koch had not reneged on what was promised in the agreement and that the military had failed to list its demands for the weapon to the gun maker.

Heckler & Koch is based in southwestern Germany and has been producing the G36 for around two decades, in which time it's become standard issue for a number of militaries around the world. The German military, or Bundeswehr, has used the gun consistently since 1997. A G36 rifle costs militaries about 1,000 euros ($1,120).

But beginning in 2012, reports out of Afghanistan emerged alleging that the weapon became less accurate during periods of continuous, rapid shooting. The Bundeswehr at first blamed faulty ammunition, but a 2015 study by the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics revealed that the observed hit rate at a distance of 100 meters drops to just 7 percent in temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). The Bundeswehr had called for 90 percent accuracy under these conditions.

In light of this news, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen ordered the G36 in its current form be phased out of use by German soldiers.

Bundeswehr beset by lack of equipment

This was part of a string of equipment problems for the Bundeswehr, such as the embarrassing revelation in January that only 29 of its 93 Tornado fighter jets were available for reconnaissance missions conducted on "Islamic State" (IS) terrorists, and that even those that were functional could not fly at night because of faulty cockpit lights.

The German army has the right to appeal the verdict, but has said the outcome will have no bearing on the decision to pull the gun from its ranks.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/176708/german-mod-loses-legal-battle-over-h%26k-g36-rifle.html
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

German court likely to clear G36

Sebastian Schulte, Bonn - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly | 06 June 2016

A German court has disclosed it is likely to back Heckler & Koch (HK) in its legal action to prove that the G36 assault rifle is not deficient, as has been claimed by the German Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The Koblenz regional court stated on 3 June that its preliminary legal opinion is that the G36 is not deficient within the context of its procurement contract; in other words the MoD received what it had ordered and didn't complain about it earlier.

"The G36 has been procured since the 1990s, but the first complaints surfaced in 2011. The changed operational and environmental parameters when operating in Afghanistan have not been taken into consideration [by the MoD] when placing additional orders," Presiding Judge Ralf Volckmann said.

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http://www.janes.com/article/60987/german-court-likely-to-clear-g36
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

Germany's G36 cleared by trio of studies

Sebastian Schulte, Bonn - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly | 21 October 2015

The Bundeswehr's G36 service rifle and its manufacturer have been cleared by three investigative reports into the subject, providing a new twist to a complex saga.

These findings contrast with a solid year of criticism of the rifle, at the highest levels of the German defence establishment, over its accuracy when heated.

While the first study criticises the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for responding slowly and inconsistently to reports of issues with the G36, the second clears manufacturer Heckler & Koch (HK) of wrongdoing, and the third finds no German operations were effected or soldiers wounded/killed through any shortcoming of the rifle.

The three studies were initiated by Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen in March after an earlier investigation found the G36 significantly loses accuracy when its barrel becomes hot. Specifically, the composite holding the barrel in place softens when heated, allowing the barrel to move and so reducing accuracy. In April Von der Leyen said that "the G36, [in its current state], has no future in the Bundeswehr". In September this year, she decided to fully replace the G36 by 2019.

Conducted by Klaus-Peter Müller, chairman of the supervisory board of Commerzbank, the first study examined the MoD's conduct and processes in the procurement of the G36. It criticises the MoD's responses to the issue, its control over procurement processes, and its product management. But it notes that measures have been taken to rectify the ministry's deficiencies, while recommending the establishment of a better compliance system.

The second study, conducted by an internal MoD commission, examined the ministry's business relationship with HK over the G36 with regard to regulation. It found "no clues for corruption or any other kind of legally relevant wrongdoing".

Yet the study states there should not have been a physical presence of MoD quality control at HK's G36 production site.

http://www.janes.com/article/55456/germany-s-g36-cleared-by-trio-of-studies
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

Heckler and Koch Vindicated In G36 Accuracy Row, But Lobbying Concerns Linger

Deutsche Welle German radio | October 14, 2015

Even the good days for Heckler & Koch turn out bad. On the same day that the German gunmaker's G36 assault rifle, the standard weapon of the German military, received a glowing report from one government commission, another slammed the "intolerable" close relations between the manufacturer and the army's equipment authority, and hinted at (but did not prove) improper lobbying.

The German Defense Ministry commissioned three separate reports into the G36, following revelations that the gun lost accuracy when heated up - either in hot weather or through sustained use - and that the company may have influenced the government to ensure that the rifle would still be used by the army.
One of these commissions released its results on Wednesday, and while it vindicated the company, the details of another internal Defense Ministry report were considerably less enthusiastic.

Good news

For Heckler & Koch, the report on the rifle's combat effectiveness could not have been better. Led by Green party politician Winfried Nachtwei, the commission questioned 200 soldiers to find out whether they had ever been put in danger, or indeed directly harmed, by the gun's supposed lack of accuracy.

"The mission-experienced soldiers refuted the classification of the G36 as a glitch-rifle," the commission said in Berlin on Wednesday. The report had already been leaked to Wednesday's edition of the "Sächsische Zeitung," in which one platoon commander who served in Afghanistan in 2009 offered nothing but glowing words about the gun's accuracy. "We always felt in a superior position with the G36, particularly because we could have an impact on the target with relatively little ammunition," he told the Nachtwei commission.

The commission was careful, however, not to question the scientific tests that had been conducted on the G36, confining itself only to the observation that they had tested "extreme cases" that were unlikely to occur on the battlefield. Christine Buchholz, defense policy spokeswoman for the socialist Left party, was also cautious about the findings. "Of course there are still a few questions," she told DW. "It might be right that no German soldier was hurt in battle, but they didn't ask whether all the targets were hit."

Nonetheless, the commission's appraisal will have lifted the hearts of H&K executives, who have spent months defending their prestige weapon - which has been licensed around the world and is used by several other European armies - from derisory press and politicians. As the results of new accuracy tests came through earlier this year, and the damning media reports piled up, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen declared in April that the gun had "no future" in the Bundeswehr, and she would begin replacing the over 160,000 G36s it currently uses, a process likely to take until 2019.

On Wednesday, von der Leyen refused to be drawn into a knee-jerk response to the report: "We will analyze it now, review it calmly, and then respond accordingly," she said in a statement.

Bad news

But even as the champagne corks popped at H&K headquarters in Oberndorf, southwestern Germany, state TV network ARD released details of an internal Defense Ministry report that found "intolerable management behavior" between H&K and the Federal Bureau of Bundeswehr Equipment.

That government office has for several years kept a test center at the H&K factory in Oberndorf, ostensibly to avoid the safety headache of transporting weapons across the country. ("That's a scandal in itself," said Buchholz.) Now, without naming its sources, or quoting them directly, ARD learned "from government circles" that an internal ministry commission complained of a "lack of professional distance" between the equipment bureau and H&K.

"It doesn't surprise me," said Christina Deckwirth of the Berlin-based watchdog LobbyControl. "Heckler & Koch has caught our attention often. There are various relationships between Heckler & Koch and the government that are just far too close."
Buchholz also had a number of questions: "They haven't yet explicitly addressed the issue that there are clearly structures, or individuals, or networks in the defense ministry that hold a protective hand over Heckler & Koch," she said. "The whole swamp needs to be drained. The Heckler & Koch clique needs to be exposed; only then, can such problems be avoided in the future."

The 'protective hand'

The fact that this clique exists was made clear in late September, when another ARD investigation found that defense ministry officials helped H&K get around the government export controls in what turned out to be the illegal sale of thousands of G36s to the Mexican government. H&K's headquarters were raided by Stuttgart prosecutors in 2011 over that deal.

In an apparently unrelated development, it emerged in 2011 that Volker Kauder, head of the Christian Democratic Union's parliamentary group, whose constituency of Rottweil is the home of H&K, accepted several party donations from the gun maker - all of them below 10,000 euros ($11,300) and therefore below the limit at which they have to be made public.

"It reminds one of the current VW scandal," Deckwirth told DW. "It seems the government keeps this protective hand over companies - there is close cooperation. It's obvious that the government protects more than it checks. It's particularly dicey with weapons companies because they're dependent on these contracts."

Though there was no direct evidence of corruption in the G36 accuracy affair, one incident is said to have caused particular concern: in May 2015, it was discovered that H&K workers had the keys to the federal equipment bureau's test center in the factory, and therefore had access to confidential government documents. In response, the ministry is considering whether to move the test center away from the factory.

Heckler & Koch did not respond to a request for comment.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/167858/h%26k-vindicated-in-g36-rifle-row%2C-but-slammed-for-lobbying-ties.html
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

dudge

Citaat van: Sparkplug op 12/09/2015 | 18:31 uur
Ze dachten in Duitsland waarschijnlijk dat er op affuiten kon worden bespaard.

Of er wordt hier een algemeen lang bekend gegeven als nieuws gebracht.

Sparkplug

Citaat van: A.J. op 12/09/2015 | 18:06 uur
En waarom is dit zo bijzonder dat het nieuws is?

Alsof onze minimi in de MAG affuit past of dat de MAG in de Bren affuit paste...

Ze dachten in Duitsland waarschijnlijk dat er op affuiten kon worden bespaard.
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

A.J.

En waarom is dit zo bijzonder dat het nieuws is?

Alsof onze minimi in de MAG affuit past of dat de MAG in de Bren affuit paste...

Ros

Citaat van: Telegraaf op 12/09/2015 | 13:49 uur
'Machinegeweer kost Duitsland miljoenen' 

BERLIJN -
Duitsland is mogelijk miljoenen kwijt aan de invoering van het machinegeweer MG5 als vervanger voor de MG3. Het nieuwe geweer past namelijk niet op de standaard van pantser- en landingsvoertuigen van het Duitse leger. .

Passen/testen ?.....van de Duitsers niet verwacht  :cute-smile:

Sparkplug

Citaat van: Elzenga op 12/09/2015 | 14:39 uur
al dan niet gebruik van kunststof?
Niet zozeer het kunststof gebruik, maar meer de roestproblemen en de nauwkeurigheid van de MG5. Van de FN Minimi kwam na de 5,56 mm uitvoering ook een 7,62 mm uitvoering. Beide FN uitvoeringen werken wel naar behoren.

Nog niet zolang geleden hadden we het in een ander topic over de vervanging van de FN MAG door de HK121/MG5. Zal men toch het ontwerp en de materiaalkeuze van de MG5 moeten nakijken om dezelfde kwaliteit te kunnen geven.
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Elzenga

Citaat van: Sparkplug op 12/09/2015 | 14:28 uur
Toch vreemd dat al deze problemen met de MG5 niet bij de MG4 (de 5,56 mm variant) aanwezig zijn.
al dan niet gebruik van kunststof?

Sparkplug

Toch vreemd dat al deze problemen met de MG5 niet bij de MG4 (de 5,56 mm variant) aanwezig zijn.
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Lex

'Machinegeweer kost Duitsland miljoenen' 

BERLIJN -
Duitsland is mogelijk miljoenen kwijt aan de invoering van het machinegeweer MG5 als vervanger voor de MG3. Het nieuwe geweer past namelijk niet op de standaard van pantser- en landingsvoertuigen van het Duitse leger. Dat hebben parlementsleden gezegd tegen het tijdschrift Der Spiegel.
 
Het is onduidelijk waarom de wapens niet kunnen worden gemonteerd op de standaard van de MG3. Het Duitse leger wil komend jaar zo'n 13.000 MG5-geweren kopen voor zo'n 200 miljoen euro. Het ombouwen van de militaire voertuigen zou nog eens 50 miljoen extra kosten.

Fabrikant Heckler & Koch heeft al eerder problemen gehad met de MG5. Zo zou het wapen te snel roesten en kon er niet nauwkeurig mee geschoten worden. Duitsland heeft bovendien problemen gehad met het standaardgeweer G36. Ook dat wapen van Heckler & Koch zou niet nauwkeurig genoeg schieten en vooral bij hitte slecht werken.

Telegraaf, za 12 sep 2015, 11:33

Sparkplug

Germany to replace G36 service rifle

Sebastian Schulte, Bonn and Nicholas de Larrinaga, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly | September 8, 2015

Germany has decided to entirely replace the recently troubled Heckler & Koch (HK) G36 as the country's service rifle, Katrin Suder, German State Secretary for Defence Procurement, told the defence committee of the German parliament on 8 September.

Suder told the committee that the decision to fully replace the rifle was based on the fact that "the G36 was procured with a service life of 20 years in mind, which will be reached in 2016. Furthermore, the current forces' requirements by far exceed the potential of modifications that could be made to the G36".

IHS Jane's understands that, with the decision to replace the G36 taken, the German Ministry of Defence (MoD) is planning to introduce a new service rifle by 2019. To this end, the Defence Procurement Office (BAAINBw) has issued a note to industry and is already evaluating and screening the assault rifle market for a replacement.

The move comes after a technical evaluation by the government-funded Fraunhofer Research Institute reported in late March that the G36 failed to meet accuracy requirements both through "self-induced" heating (for example by firing the weapon rapidly), as well as increased climate-related temperatures in simulated environments.

Since 1996 HK has delivered 178,000 G36 rifles, which fire the NATO 5.56x45 mm round, in a range of variants for the Bundeswehr.

Following the findings of the report, Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen was quoted in April as saying that, "The G36, [in its current state], has no future in the Bundeswehr." At the time the MoD said this could mean anything from a modification to the current G36, to the procurement of an existing system, or the development of an entirely new service rifle.

As an interim solution for deployed forces, in late August the MoD ordered 600 G27P assault rifles, the Bundeswehr variant of HK's HK417 (chambered in the larger NATO 7.62x51 mm calibre), as well as 600 MG4 light machine guns.

Suder concluded her briefing to parliament by noting the MoD would reserve all legal rights in the matter, repeating the implication the MoD could seek compensation from HK over the issues with the G36.

http://www.janes.com/article/54118/germany-to-replace-g36-service-rifle
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Huzaar1

"Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without your accordion" US secmindef - Jed Babbin"

Sparkplug

The Bundeswehr's Latest Heckler & Koch Problem

Deutsche Welle German radio | September 5, 2015


The German armed forces have postponed initial deliveries of the Heckler & Koch MG5 machine gun, due to begin in July, until 2016 to work out unspecified technical problems. (H&K photo)

First there were issues with the Germany military's standard infantry weapon, the HK G36. Now the same is apparently so for what's set to be the Bundeswehr's new standard issue machine gun, the HK MG5.

According to the Bundeswehr's original plans, shipments of the MG5 (pictured above) were supposed to begin two months ago. A German military spokesman announced Sunday that the machine guns won't be ready until next year, confirming a report in the "Bild am Sonntag" weekly newspaper that said "serious delays" were to be expected.

The MG5 is made by the defense manufacturing company Heckler & Koch, the most prolific German weapons maker, and is set to become the Bundeswehr's standard issue machine gun. The defense ministry has ordered 12,733 units, with a price tag of some 200 million euros ($222 million).

Issues with the MG5 surfaced in May, with reports of inaccuracy floating around German political circles.

According to Tobias Lindner, the Green party's federal defense expert, a Bundeswehr appraisal said the machine gun was only "conditionally fit" for use in combat. The defense ministry rejected that claim, however, announcing merely that "requests for changes have been made and these must be addressed."

Not the first HK to encounter problems

The issues with the MG5 follow a rather turbulent year for standard guns in the German military.

In April, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen announced that the standard issue assault rifle, the HK G36, was unfit for combat due to accuracy problems that arise when the gun gets hot.

It remains to be seen whether the 170,000 units currently outfitting the Bundeswehr will be remodeled, or whether they will be replaced. Heinz Schulte, a German defense expert, told DW in April that if the Bundeswehr were to replace the G36, it would be with the G416 or G417, both made by HK.

Meanwhile, Heckler & Koch and the Bundeswehr are still fighting in court over whether the G36 is indeed a faulty assault rifle. Apart from that, three Defense Ministry commissions are looking into whether soldiers were put in danger by the rifle, and whether corruption was in play. The results of those investigations are expected in October.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/166589/bundeswehr-finds-problems-with-new-mg5-machine-gun.html
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.