Haenel surprisingly wins German #Bundeswehr assault rifle competition against favorite Heckler&Koch, with its Mk556 AR15-architecture based product. No official confirmation yet but supposedly rifle matches spec and is cheaper than HK offering. Image Hk433 top, Mk556 below.
Haenel has a long history, but faced many changes due to hailing from Suhl, Thuringia in East Germany. Company re-established itself with production locally in 2008, but belongs to the Merkel Group (no relation to the Chancellor), which itself is owned by UAE-based Caracal Int.
A very interesting decision to be sure, with all sorts of ramifications, potentially overall very positive for GER small arms presence. Still, a protest by HK seems at least likely.
cc @LeighJNeville
Good read here. As TFB notes, the decision is yet to be confirmed and possibly subject to protest. Also, Haenel already delivers the G29/RS9 sniper rifle for German SOF since 2016, so they do have established reputation with the customer.
thefirearmblog.com/blog/2020/09/1…
As also noted in comments for above article, Haenel ironically was the company directly responsible for development of the StG44, the OG of assault rifles. This just to put their role in this competition as "underdog" into wider context.
Since the debate is already taking amusing twists and turns, here's another effort to inject facts for information of interested parties. Good review on the CR-223, which is the civilian semi-auto version of the Mk556:
all4shooters.com/en/shooting/ri…
Also, via @AugenGeradeaus now official confirmation from MinDef on selecting Haenel Mk556 as winner. Says parliamentary approval of purchase is hoped for by the end of 2020. Reaffirms HK right to object legally if they wish to do so.
augengeradeaus.net/2020/09/vertei…
A very good piece in German on what will happen next in this procurement. Key parts: HK protest may delay all steps by months but unlikely to change outcome. Operational evaluation will also take one year before full production order.
soldat-und-technik.de/2020/09/bewaff…
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