HK G36

The German Bundeswehr's official service rifle, Heckler & Koch's HK G36, has a number of versions to cater to various sections of military and civilian defense. This assault rifle was designed in the 90's and the first rolled off H&K's production line in 1995. It had been designed specifically to provide the German Armed Forces with a viable alternative to the obsolete select fire battle rifle known as the G3. The 7.62 × 51 mm NATO chambered G3 was also a Heckler & Koch design and the company's first two attempts at designing a replacement acceptable to the Bundeswehr were not successful. The HK G36, which chambers 5.56 x 45 mm NATO, was finally given the stamp of approval, and has been the standard army issue assault rifle of the German Armed Forces ever since.

The HK G36 is a gas-operated weapon that can be used in semi-automatic, 2/3-round burst and fully automatic mode. It accommodates both a standard box magazine holding 30 rounds and a C-Mag drum magazine (a separate accessory whose two drum units that hold 50 rounds each to offer a total capacity of 100 rounds). The average effective range of this assault rifle is between 200 and 800 meters, depending on the variant in question. The HK G36 is capable of firing 750 rounds per minute and has a muzzle velocity of 920 meters per second. It weighs approximately 3.4 kilograms in an unloaded condition, and its overall length is just short of ammeter. The barrel is the standard version is 480 mm long.

Notably, the HK G36 features the rather specialized set of sights known as reflex sights, whose refractive/reflective optics create an image that appears to be projected on the target at a point in infinity. The rifle is also provided with a standard optical sighting system - on the local German versions of the HK G36, this comes with 3x magnification, while the sights on HG G36's meant for export feature 1.5x magnification. There have been rumors that the version meant for export incorporates a basic design flaw in the optics, which apparently tend to lose alignment when the assault rifle is subjected to sharp impacts. Another feature that makes the HK G36 an assault weapon par excellence is the fact that it can be fitted with the lightweight, yet highly durable single shot 40 mm x 46 mm grenade launcher. Yet another optional attachment to the HK G36 is the Russian AK 74 bayonet.

The HK G36's short-stroke gas system, in which some of the pressurized gas generated by the firing of a cartridge is used to eject the spent case and insert a new cartridge, is a useful feature that reduces the maintenance needed to keep this assault rifle operational on the field. In fact, this unique system allows the HK G36 to be used for almost unlimited periods of sustained firing without causing it to jam and present safety issues. A specially designed folding stock allows the HK G36 to be fired with the stock in extended as well as folded condition.

The HK G36 comes in three variants - standard, the shorter G36K and the compact G36C. A civilian sporting version known as the HK SL8, which has a 10-round magazine and various other modification meant to make it more suitable for the American market, was also introduced. In the process of making the SL8 compatible with US gun laws, it lost many of its original features - including the fully-automatic firing mode.

The HK G36 has played a prominent role in the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and is in wide-spread use by specialty units and law enforcement agencies around the world. The Spanish Army has accepted it as one of its standard infantry weapons since 1999, and it is rumored that the Mexican Army will also begin producing it indigenously for its own use. Meanwhile, this revolutionary assault rifle by Germany's most famous weapons manufacturer is also in use in Chile, England, France, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Poland, Singapore, Portugal, Sweden and many other countries.